Vaccination.

Ashu got her vaccination shots yesterday for MMR and Chicken pox. One in each arm. :(

Anyway, just thought to write some stuff as a reminder for myself. It might help young parents in India too.

1.Dress the child right. If the shot is going to be administered in the arms, make them wear a sleeveless top or some top in which the sleeves can be easily rolled up. Otherwise it is a pain to taken them off and even more painful to put them on again when the child is screaming her lungs off. Unlike in Europe or US, here they don't remove the clothings of the child. They even weigh the child with the clothes on!

2. Try to buy the vaccines,syringe, etc.. the previous day itself. Some vaccines you might have to store in the fridge, so ask the Doctor about it. Also the paediatric medicines or vaccines are usually not available in all the medical shops. You get them only in the medical shops the Doctor suggests or the ones near the Doctors clinic/hospital. If the Dr's appointment is before 9 am, then the chances of the medical shop being closed is more. So check out the timings.

3. Finish off all the formalities before the child gets the shots. Ask all the Q's you want, get the appointment for the next visit, get the prescription, write down all the details of the vaccination. Even pay the fees. Because once the child gets the shots, all you would want is to get out.

4. Take a bottle of water or milk if that will pacify your child. Or some biscuits or her favorite toy.

5. In Swiss, the doctor used to keep a ball of cotton and put a band aid over it after the shot to stop the bleeding. But here, the Dr just asks you to press the cotton tightly on her arm where the shot was given. Its really stupid as its impossible to hold the baby still. Either go with a band aid or ask the Dr beforehand for a plaster.

6. Usually there is a vaccination report card where all the details of the vaccines given for the child is noted down, in Swiss. No such thing here. But you might require it if you travel abroad. So you can ask the Dr to write the details in her prescription pad and sign it.

7. Some vaccines cost around Rs.2000 so go with enough cash.

Thats all I can think of. Life really revolves around the child for me, no?! :)

Movies and popcorn.

Watched 2 movies in the last 2 weeks on the big screen. That makes a grand total of five movies in one year. Not a bad record with a baby, I should add. The first four times, my mom baby sat Ashu while HD and I went for the movies while yesterday HD stayed home with Ashu while I went with my cousins and nieces. There were 6 of us and we had a blast. But the movie was a dud! (We knew that beforehand. Thats the reason HD decided to be all nice and stayed home!) My seven year old niece loved it though! Oops, I did nt mention the name of the movie, did I? It was Krrish! Ok, so have you stopped laughing now? Read on then! The first half was at least watchable but the second half was OH MY GOD horrible! My cousin and I were passing our own comments and were laughing so hard. That was the fun part. As if the movie was nt irritating enough, there were loads and loads of product placements too. It was nt like the occasional coke cans here and there but was 'on your face' and annoying. I could spot all these brands in absolutely unnecessary scenes:

Bournvita
Tide
Hero Honda
Boroplus
Vicks
Lays
Siarams
Samsung

The hilarious part is when grandma Rekha pours Tide detergent into a bucket standing in the middle of a beautiful living room. I mean, give me a break. And in the next scene, the Tide packet is sitting on the kitchen shelf next to the stainless steel tumblers! I would have appreciated a free sample, for Gods sake! Hrithik was good though. Poor thing has poured his soul for this dud. Priyanaka's make up was horrible in some scenes. I don't even know the first thing about professional make up and I could see what a blotchy make up it was! And she was Miss World? Hmm...!

Mission Impossible 3 was the other movie we watched. Loved it.

"I'd marry him!"

In the movie, two women who come to the engagement party of Tom Cruise and his fiancée (whoever she is, I don't care!) say that to each other after talking to Tom for a few minutes! I agree! :-D *drools*

ps.
Why do parents bring babies to the theater? The father was taking the screaming baby out of the hall 5 or 6 times. And the noise was horrible. I tightly shut my ears during all the song and action sequences. It was damn loud. Show some mercy to the babies people!

pps.
Try the Schezwan popcorn at the Innovative multiplex in Bangalore when you go next time. Very good. Made watching Krrish worthwhile! :)

If you know what I mean...

I really wish I were old. Whenever I do this uncool thing, I wish I were around 50 so that the thing I do is nt uncool. I mean is there any cool way to get the idli batter out of a grinder? (I mean the wet grinder here and not the mixer grinder!) How much ever you try, you have to use your hands ultimately to take the batter out and then scrape your hand in the storage vessel. Yucks! And I still waste a good amount of the maavu (batter) stuck in the grinder. How my mom wipes the grinder clean is beyond me. Anyway, I worked like a dog today around the house. I wish I cleaned the house everyday. But unfortunately no such determination or OCD. I always postpone housework until some guests arrive. It happens that this weekend we are having visitors and I ended up doing everything in one day. Clean the shelves, cup boards, make Idli maavu(thats how the uncool thing happened!), arrange the closets, clean TV, computer,.. All while dragging Ashu as she had tightly hugged my legs! Poor thing, never saw her mom so worked up before! The tough part was cleaning the fridge inside out as it has been ages since my fridge had some fresh air for more than 5 seconds!! (You must have got it by now who's coming if I am cleaning my fridge right? If not, ignorance is bliss!)

Usually I have loads of time to write but nothing comes to my mind. But sometimes it so happens that you will have loads of interesting stuff but no time or energy! So see you on the other side of a pretty long weekend! ;)

Girl next door.

Theres a big apartment complex near my apartment. They have a play area for children with swings, slides, see-saws, etc... and in the evenings I stand on my balcony with Ashu and show her what a play area looks like! (We occasionally go to parks when it does nt rain but shes still too small for everything and there are no baby swings anywhere! This info so that no one sues me for being a bad mom!) Anyway, every evening I see a young girl of about 6 or 7 years old. She looks like a servant maid. She comes with a 2 year old girl and baby-sits her. Even though the child can swing on her own, the girl keeps her on her lap and swings. Until some mother comes with her child and asks her to move. Then she slides with the child on her lap. Then the see-saw. She puts the child in one end and she sits in the middle and rocks.
I don't want to know what she does in the day time.

'BOMB'AY.

Nothing shocks me anymore. And that is really worrying. All I can think is, what is this World coming to?
Let Peace prevail!

ps. And yes, Rajdeep Sardesai was absolutely insensitive. I just wanted to wipe the smirk off his face!

It’s all coming back to me now.

Agreed that you are always in praise about your hubby when you are newly married and can’t stop talking about him to Tom, Dick and Harry telling them how great he is. You have to prove to the whole world, the ex boy friends, the ex girl friends, the current friends, the cousins and their likes what a great catch you have landed. You believe you are perfectly made for each other and go on and on about it to your friends. How smart he is, what fun he is! The gifts he showers on you. You love to swap hubby stories among your friends and wait for an opportunity to tell them about the surprise dinner he cooked for you on your birthday. You can’t believe how some wives can complain about their husbands so openly and secretly thank God that you have nt ended up with a husband like theirs. You vow never to be like them. You never ever tell anybody about the fights. You quit a perfectly nice job and follow him to the end of the Earth. (I remember a week after getting married I told my sister, "I can’t live without my hubby"! Yikes! It sound so foolish now but if I go back in time, I would say the same thing again, I’m sure. Only more confidently perhaps. Ah! Those were the days!)

But after 5 or 6 years, it should stop. It will stop! Then you will tell only the things you mean. You would advise your 21 year old cousin not to get married so soon. You would tell your 27 year old single friend how lucky she is not to have got caught in marriage and its responsibilities. You would ask your parents why they believe in a stupid institution. You would tell your husband that your pre-married life was bliss. Not that you are nt in love anymore, but because you grow up!

ps. Absolutely my personal experience. Just replace the "you"s with "I"s if you don’t agree! And this post is dedicated to everyone who think couples are caught in loveless marriages after reading their blogs! ;)

Ashu - Dated today.

~> She is almost 14 months old.

~> She saw her first rainbow today.

~> "Suttum vizhi" song from the movie Ghajini is still her favorite.

~> Since she has done damage to her favorite Noddy book, he has been retired.

~> Her favorite is a book with pictures of animals now. Of the 35 animals in it, she points to the goat and says "Aadu". I am really proud of her!

~> She calls me, her dad and my mom as "Amma". Even though I pretend as if it does nt bother me, actually it does a little bit!

~> The fevicol bond is still stronger between her and my dad. I am still amazed why.

~> When asked what her name is, she very cutely says "Taashi". I am thinking about renaming her!

~> When a guest gave her a book she took it from him and said "Thans" much to my amazement. But has nt repeated it since then. Guess I was just hearing things!

~> She can point where her head, ears, ear ring, eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, tummy, hands and legs are. But she always gets only 8/10 things right. Did I say I am proud of her?

~> She loves kids and calls everyone under ten as "Paapaa".

~> She unscrews her ear studs and loses them. Once she put one of them in her mouth and gave me a heart attack.

~> If you give her a box or a bag full of assorted stuff, she ll be occupied for 20 minutes. But the same box/bag won’t work the second time. Because we have photographic memory!

~> When my 3 year old niece comes home to play, Ashu does nt share her toys with her and snatches them from her. She also does nt like it when my dad holds other babies in his arms. I am really wondering where she inherited this from?!!

~> Her shaved head is really funny to touch now!

~> She is still in the "beautiful-in-every-photo" phase! Probably she ll be as long as I live!

My Hero.

While all my classmates would pee in their pants at the thought of being asked to bring one of their parents to school by the teacher, I waited eagerly for an opportunity like that all my school and college life. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for the teachers, it never happened. Actually it happened once but did nt turn out like I wanted it to. I was 13 years old and did nt go to school one day when there was a History test scheduled. The next day the teacher asks me why I had nt come to school the previous day and I say I was sick. "Bring your father to school tomorrow", says she. After school, I go home and tell my dad to drop me at school the next day as the History Miss wants to meet him. He does. I take him to the Staff room and introduce him to my history miss. She asks, "Yes, what do you want?" I am puzzled. I tell her "You asked me to bring my father." She’s puzzled now. "Oh? Ok. So she was sick day before? She did nt come to school." My father: "Yes she was and she told you that did nt she?" "Well ok then!" says the teacher. My father: “You can take her word hereafter. She does nt lie. I don’t have to come to the school all the way for this, ok?" The teacher nods her head and tells me to run to the class as the lessons are going to start. I smile at my dad and run away. The funny thing about all this is I LIED. I was nt sick. I did nt study for the test and bunked school. My dad knew it too! I have never been so proud of him! He picked up a fight with my sisters school head master too in a similar incident but that time my sister was right and he stuck to her side.

To be honest, my parents overdid it. No one can get away with saying anything not-so-nice about their daughters. All my uncles and aunts would complain about their kids like they are nt studying; they are lazy; they are irresponsible, etc... But my parents would always compliment us. She has got first rank, she got first prize,.. .which was nt always true. Till this day my dad tells everyone that I was school first in my 12th board exams when I was only second. My best friend was first and when I remind him of that, he says "She’s also like my daughter!" What a logic, huh? All my classmates were really jealous of me to have such a cool dad. That he hit me unlike any other dad of my friends was another issue. But at least I could bunk school whenever I wanted to do! I don’t know how I turned out the way I turned out. I drew the line myself and did nt cross it and it worked out fine for me. My sister is the golden girl. She aced through school and college without my parents uttering the word "study" ever. We studied because we wanted to study. I know lots of children need to be told what to do and may be this method would have been disastrous for another child. But I loved my dad for what he did for me. I knew I could count on him and he would be on my side against anything in this world. That trust is something I treasure. He has always been a phone call away. When I called him from college, the first thing he would ask is "When do you want to come home?" He would judge my mood just from my "hello". I would go home for holidays and keep on postponing the trip back to college. He ll take me to the bus stand and as soon as the "Trichy" bus comes, I ll have a frog in my throat and tell him "I ll go tomorrow Pa." He ll immediately take me back home without a question. One time, this went on for 3 days continuously and on Thursday my dad said, "Stay here for the weekend. You can go on Monday". I readily agreed and left for sure on Monday. I can’t remember what went through my mind. Why did nt I quit college like Rupa did? Or why did nt I go to college without a single leave of absence like Shanti did? Puzzling!

There have been millions of instances when I have called him in a helpless situation knowing full well he would be helpless too. But just talking to him and having him worry for me made me feel better. When I was in Bangalore alone and HD was in Swiss and my dad in Coimbatore, I had a flat tyre with my Kinetic Honda. I stood in the middle of the road not knowing what to do. I called HD from my mobile! (Yes, to Switzerland!) He did nt pick up the phone. I called my dad then. He asked me to enquire in a shop for a garage nearby. I asked a pharmacist and he told me there was one in that corner. I walked there and got it fixed. After I got engaged, I was really scared to get married and go and live with almost-strangers. Every night I would pick a fight with my parents and tell them that they were heartless to make me go live like that.

Me: What would I do for money? Do I have to ASK "them" for money?
Dad: I ll open a bank A/c for you and get a cheque book.
Me: What would I do if they ask me to wash all their clothes?
Dad: They have a washing machine.
Me: I dreamt** that the machine was broke and they asked me to wash all their clothes by hand.
Dad: In that case, just pack your bags and come home.
Mom: *going bonkers* WHAT? What kind of advice is that? Will you please shut up!
Me: What? I can’t come home Ma?
Dad: Don’t care what she says. You can come anytime you want to.
Me: *mighty pleased* So have you decided the menu for the reception dinner?

I know I sound so stupid and naive but I have my own super-hero to think for me! :) So here’s to you dad! Happy Fathers Day!

ps. HD, take a hint and start doing something if you want Ashu to write about you fondly in her blog. I am pretty sure I have blown my chance already! ;)

pps. My dad has fallen greatly in my dad-scale since my daughter’s birth but has already passed with honors in Ashus grand dad scale. So no complaints there!

** I really dreamt that! :)

More like Teeny-Weeny-Me!

Since Ashu had her head shaved yesterday, I have been trying to find out whom she looks like as I was seeing a familiar face in her. And then to my horror, I realized that she resemebles Mini-Me!! That I watched a few scenes from Goldmemember *puke* a few days back on TV did nt help me on this one. It has completely grossed me out now. And I have gone and written about it here too! Oh God, what have I done? Anyway, this post will be long gone before Ashu learns to google. Imagine the horror when she googles for Mine-me by some freak coincidence and lands up here!

Mottai.

My poor baby went through a "hair-rising" experience today and lost all her hair to the Vaidhyanatha Swamy at the Vaidheeswaran Kovil. It was really bad. Poor thing screamed her lungs out. My dad who 27 years earlier had grabbed me half way between my mottai and ran for cover had to hold Ashu straight and put up with her screaming. He would have done the same to Ashu also but the baby he thought he was saving years earlier was giving him "I-will-kill-you-if you-even-think-about-it-look"! I mean, even I did nt want this thing done in the first place but half mottai? HD missed the whole thing. Good for him as it was really bad. Pretty barbaric! 15 minutes of pure heart break to any parent. Anyway, Ashu was her happy self as soon as the last hair fell from her head so that was a relief. She touched her head with both her hands and had a quizzical look in her face which made all of us smile! I thought probably all the man-handling by my dad would have some effect and she would stop clinging to my dad like a creeper but no such luck. Lets see if that happens after the 3 months separation when my dad goes to US. One can only hope!

By the way, heres the before and after snap. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Just like I was paranoid about how I would look in a Madisaar for the first time and then everyone told me "Unakku romba baandhamaa irukku"(You look good!), Ashu looks more cuddly now if that is possible only a little like a sand paper at one end!

Hair today...

... gone tomorrow! :(

Long time, no see!

I was blank. Just blank. Could nt think of anything to write and did not feel like writing anything at all for that matter. Probably my creative juices(I can hear you go "huh?" Ok ok, I get the point!) flow only when I am in the cubby hole of my flat in Bangalore sitting on my plastic moulded chair with one leg on the sofa and Ashu crying for my attention! Well, here I am in Bangalore after 22 days. Had a blast in my cousins wedding in Chennai. The weather was nt as bad as I had expected. My dad was staying in a hotel pretty close to the wedding hall and I took sanctuary there whenever I felt like it. And when Ashu had to go potty. And when she had to take a bath. And when she had to change into her next Pattu Paavadai. And when she went to sleep. So you get the picture, right? I was in the hotel room pretty much the entire time! :) It felt good to be decked up in Kancheepurams and jewelleries and pose for photographs after a long time! Ashu was at her crankiest and making her wear the pattu paavdai itself was such a big deal that I did nt even try to keep my hands on her hair! So she had the "just-got-up-from-sleep" look the entire time, much to my moms utter disappointment!

Anyway, its good to be back home but in 2 days Im leaving again to my parents place. On a sudden plan they are leaving for the US to be with my sister for a couple of months and I want to be there until they leave so that they spend some time with Ashu. The remote idea that I could also go with them was completely squashed when I found out that there is a 6 months waiting period for the US visa appointment in Chennai. Anyway, not like that I was desperate or something! :-P

ps.
Thanks Witchy for missing me! ;)

One proud Momma!

HD is gonna kill me for this! Take a look. :)

Made in Switzerland.

For Whomsoever it may concern:

This is to certify that Ashu is an Indian citizen and NOT a Swiss citizen. So stop asking me "Swissarland citizen aa?" As far as I know, only in the US a baby becomes an US citizen by birth. It's no so in Europe. And after I say NO, don't give me the, "Then why the heck did you have her in Swiss" look. I did because I lived there then and I felt that the medical facilities were better there than in India. And loads of other reasons which are nt that important now. But I am glad I did. I got the best of both. I had an Indian citizen and I had better service. What more can I need?

To that particular person who goes about telling everyone he sees, "This is my grand daughter, made in Switzerland":

Even though you are technically correct, cut it out Dad!

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

I am in Kumbakonam. Translate that as I am burning alive. Hot is not the word Im looking for. It’s like sitting inside an oven. I ll sympathize with the potatoes every time I put them in the microwave hereafter. Poor, poor potatoes! Last time when I came to KMU in Jan and saw the fan in the bathroom, I thought it was too much and told my dad so. But this time Im asking him why could nt he have got an AC for the bathroom. Sitting in the loo and reading a book looks like a luxury now!

I made the stupidest mistake by deciding to come to my parents place in the middle of May. Friends are going to Ooty and Kodai and I come to Kmu. I am in India for summer after 5 years. In Kmu for summer after 15 years. So u figure! But ( there’s always a but thank God) I am in my "PARENTS" place and (there’s always an and too, thank you again God!) Ashu is having the time of her life. True to the word, she’s running around as a jatti kutti, playing with my mom, dad, cousin, grandma, uncles, aunts, niece and occasionally coming to me. So in that sense, I’m having a great time too!! We miss her father occasionally! :)

After 5 years, I’m eating Mangoes. My favorite fruit of course! They taste even better now. So far I ve had Imam Pasandh, Bangana Palli, Kaadhar, Ottu, Paadhiri, Malgova, Sendhura, Baadhaami, Alphonsa and Kaalapaadi. I’m waiting for the love of my life, Rumaani(Ever eaten them?) which is available only at the end of the mango season. They are round with the smallest kottai(seed) and tastes like heaven! I’m drooling while I am typing!! :)

Will be here for 2 more weeks before going to Madras for a wedding! Kaancheepuram Silk Saree - Madras - a wriggly baby in Pattu Paavadai - I think I ll get an idea how hot it’s going to be in hell!! I just hope I get my favorite mango there too or is it asking for too much?

Was it wrong?

This happened yesterday. I was organizing the photos in my computer. There were so many that I did nt where to start, what to do. It got really frustrating. Should I put together all of Ashus photos into a folder? Should I put them month-wise? Should I make a list of photos to be printed? Should I write the all the photos in a DVD? Or only the ones I have nt made copies of? What if its more than 5 GB? Should I delete all the blurred photos? Should I rotate the photos and keep the copy of the original?

If you have had a Digi Cam for the past 4 years, you ll know that I'm talking about. Especially since we have lived in 3 countries in these 4 years. We go, take photos, burn them in CDs, make another copy just in case, make another copy for my parents, make another one by mistake,... and now I don't know what to do. Should I start from scratch and make DVDs now? Anyway, the confusion apart, I started organizing the photos we had taken in the past 6 months to be written in a DVD. And then I find that Ashus first 6 months photos taken in Swiss are missing. I remember seeing them a couple of weeks back though! I got a shock. But I knew we had a DVD made just before leaving Swiss and thats how we got the photos in this PC in the first place. So started looking for that DVD. It was nowhere to be found. Searching for a Disc in my house is like, for the lack of a better phrase, looking for a needle in the hay stack! There are discs in every cup board, every draw. I started panicking when I did nt find it where it was supposed to be.

One look at HD and started wondering if it ll be worth dragging him in to this. Because it ll take at least 15 mins to tell him the entire back ground and then another 15 mins of blame game and then I ll be the one to find it anyway because hes a person who cant even find an elephant let alone a needle in a haystack. But like the mistake I always seem to make hoping that one day he had to know where something is, I ask him if he had seen the DVD. 15 mins of "Which DVD? What is in it? Does it have a label? Do you know what else is in it other than Ashus photos? Did you see it in the CD folder we have? Was it in a CD case? I copied it as soon as we came to India. You ll find it in the computer. Search for it. Thallu, let me search. Ok, its not there." This time I was prepared and did nt eve bother to shout. I did nt have the strength. Then he starts looking for it in the exact same places I have looked. As if by miracle he ll find it. He does nt understand that its not a miracle that I find things for him in the exact same place he says he looked for. I have eyes! He does nt! So like expected, he does nt find it. I am really beat by now. I am about to cry. Then it hits me. "Check if its still in the DVD writer? You might have forgotten to eject it." Now he goes and looks for the external DVD writer we bought when we were in Swiss and now of no use as we got a new PC with a DVD writer. He finds it thankfully. The power chord is attached and I hit the eject button. There! The DVD if sitting smugly! I give one dirty look at HD and take the DVD.

I sit before the computer and go back to my organizing. A slow trickle of tears flow from my eyes. At the relief. At the "what if..." At the absent minded professor. At technology! Expecting an apology and a bear hug, I turn my head to see my dearest Hubby Darling gone back to his Sudoku! (He is hoping to crack his first one before Ashu starts solving them! He does nt know I ve already started training her when hes in office. So you don't ve much time darling!) I got so angry. What do you do when you cry and want attention but no one notices you are crying? Pathetic, no? Even though it was a silent tears kind of a crying, I managed to bring in a sniffle. A soft sniffle, Then a loud one, This got to get some attention. I mean, the man cant see. But surely he can at least hear! And he does. I get the apology and a bear hug too. But the moment is lost. Because of that damn sniffle! I could nt help myself though. So tell me now, was it wrong?

Needle Magic.

We found this cute little shop called Needle Magic. They have clothes especially for little girls. Right from new borns. Its not a place where they have dresses in all sizes. They have a small collection in different sizes. But we can make an order if we like something and they will stitch it any size we want. The stuff they have are pretty good and does nt give you the "off the rack" kind of feeling. I bought a bikini for Ashu(giggle!) and also wanted a frock for her birthday. But they did vt the lace I wanted. Too bad. The one I saw was 2 sizes bigger. Probably I ll buy it anyway for Ashu to wear a year later! It was that cute! Never thought it would come to this. I have always been a readymade wear kind of a person. Now I am actually designing(sort of!) something for my baby! Well, thats motherhood for you. Full of surprises!

You can find Needle Magic at 16, Kings Street, Richmond Road, Bangalore. (just behind Brigade Towers after Vellara junction!)

Birthday Party.

Thursday was one of the most unforgettable days in my life. My first Anniversary as a mother and how else can I prove myself than to throw a party?! And I do think it was a big hit and thereby qualifying me as a good mother, don't you think? Ashu was in full form from the morning, refusing to eat and refusing to sleep, etc.. Thankfully she slept for a while in the afternoon and after our apartment neighbor started drilling her ceiling, she got up. Guess I did nt invite that neighbor for the party! Guilty as charged! :(

Anyway, in the afternoon HD and I went to collect the Noddy cake from the other end of Bangalore. Being egg less, my very orthodox family dared to taste it. So that itself made the trip worth it. My In-laws landed in the afternoon and my dad came in the morning. So Ashu did nt know what hit her with both her doting Thathas in tow. Around 5pm, the mayhem started. 6 adults and a baby to get ready for a party! That both the Thathas took only 6 mins flat to get ready did nt make our lives any easier. Feed Ashu, clean Ashu, dress up Ashu, comb her hair, put hair clips, put bracelet, put the hair clips again as she had removed them, look for the bracelet she had removed and thrown, find her shoes, .... Man! it was really bad! And the weather was so hot that we were sweating and panting. Then we got ready and left for the Hotel. There were guests even before us. Huh oh, bad start!

The decorations were really superb. Since it was one of those rarest days with not much traffic jams, the entire office team of HD landed up by 7.15. By 8pm, the crowd got bigger. And we decided to cut the cake and start dinner in spite of my "cake connoisseur" cousin being prominently absent and making HD worry about her! ;) We had a lotus candle and when u light it, it plays a music and opens up and the petals will have a lit candle in each of them. That was really pretty. I did nt know such things existed a month back. Guess I ve a lot to learn! "Happy Birthday to you" followed and we posed for the photograph with cake in hand. The cake then disappeared to be served in the buffet for dessert. Meanwhile, the caricaturist was drawing away to glory. All the guys raided that corner and formed a long line. The caricaturist started sketching doubles. The best thing about it was that he ll just draw a big face and draw a small body with some subtle things about that person. Like my grandma with a knitting needle and a ball of wool. My cousin kicking a football and most of the guys with a bottle/glass in their hands! That was really a touch! I loved it. He signed them with the date and wrote "at Arushis Birthday" and laminated the paper with sticky cling film. That was cool.

There were around 20 kids between 10 and 6 months of age. I was distributing party hats to them and making sure I had return gifts for everyone. Some tattoo paints, books, cute clocks, pencils, toy cars, games, etc.. Around 105 people much to our surprise. I did nt think I knew so many people in Bangalore! The food was excellent though after all the excitement I could nt eat anything. Ashu was happy most of the time. She was amazed at seeing so many kids and practiced walking in her shoes. HD's friends were playing doll with her. But she did nt sit or stand even for a second for the photographer to take a picture. Now I know what they say about toddlers! I just hope I lose at least a little weight running after her. She was wearing a simple pink frock. I cud nt find anything grand. But at least she was comfortable in it. Anyway, just like that she turned ONE and became a toddler from a baby.
ps. Thank you everyone for all your kind wishes. It really means a lot to me. Thanks from HD and Ashu too! :)

27.04.2006

Dear Arushi,
Happy Birthday. I thought writing a letter would be a wonderful birthday gift to you and I plan to do it every year. But don't get influenced by a certain K movie and its annoying kid. If I die and you read my letters later, just make sure your father does nt marry one of his ex- girl friends or rather make sure he does nt marry at all. Oh God, what a way to start a letter. Anyway, now thats out of the way, lets talk about you. Arushi, you are the best thing that has happened to my life. Period. Nothing can ever change that. Absolutely nothing. It does nt matter that you are so cute. And have curly hair just like me. That you resemble so much of your father. That you are so small and so sweet. That you learn things very quickly. You make us proud by doing so many things. We would love you the same and cherish you in spite of all these too.

Last year this time, I did nt even know it was going to be your birthday or that your were a girl. Imagine that! And now, we are planning your Birthday. When I ordered the cake and asked them to write "Happy 1st Birthday" on it, I became speechless for a minute. How can you be one already? You can do so many things now. I have always taken everything for granted and never paid close attention to anything before. But now after you came into my life, everything you do amazes me. When I was newly married and some of my friends used to talk about their children all the time, I used to get a little annoyed and wonder if they can take about anything else at all. But now I know that theres nothing more important than your kids. And seeing them grow inch by inch and learn step by step is an awesome journey. Thanks for making me understand that. Even the idea of blogging came to me after you were born. Because there is so much to say when you have a baby however boring it gets for others!



The midwife who delivered you told us that you are very lucky to have such strong and caring parents. That was only until you came out. Now we are the lucky ones to have such a smart and trouble-free kid in our hands. Whenever I complain about you or become really impatient with you, you grandma reminds me how lucky I am to have such a nice kid and to stop complaining. I know she will tell the same even if you were Dennis the Menace. But this time she could be right. I mean, she IS right! I know that. But if I do get impatient or angry sometimes(!) its me not you. Until now that is. In your teenage, it would surely be you not me, remember that!

The dress is ready. The cake is ready. The guests are ready. The venue is decided. The party is all set. But I felt something was missing. I was nt doing anything personally. You are too special for me to let your birthday go without anything special from me. So this is for you. These words. This letter. I know I cant get away so cheaply from the next birthday onwards or if I am really lucky, from the one after that. I ll try to do more. Meanwhile, go ask your Appa what he has got for you. :)

Luv,
Amma.

Ayush Homam.

Update: Click here for Ashu's photos at the Ayush Homam.

Chennai was hot. I mean really HOT. You go to Chennai in Summer, or any other time for that matter, spend a few days, attend a wedding or an engagement or an Ayush Homam and then go back to wherever you are from, all you will remember is the horrible weather and the sweating. The mosquitoes, the lack of respect by the auto wallas, porters, etc.., the in-laws are just some added perks. I mean with this kind of a weather all year through, I don't blame them for being nasty. I would be too. For Gods sake, a person cant even come out of the shower without sweating like a pig. I don't know why people even bother to shower in the first place. All you need is a deodorant stick.

Anyway, the Ayush homam/star birthday of Ashu went well. HD and I had to sit by the Homam (Holy Fire) for one hour straight and what can be more cruel than that in Madras at its hottest peak. Added to that, we were in our traditional attires. He in his Silk Dhoti with bare chest glistening with sweat and me in a Silk 9 yards Saree with my huge tummy confusing my guests whether it was the Sreemadham(the pregnancy function)! After a while, Ashu had to sit in our laps and she was hell bent on helping the priests by throwing things into the fire. We endured all this in the only hope that Ashu will live to be hundred and share her Wimbledon prize money with her parents! Lets see. We will have a Video proof of our misery to blackmail her anyway.

Ashu was wearing silk paavadai(skirt) and was glittering from top to toe in various jeweleries. My mom got very upset that I did nt make her wear the Tiara she bought for Ashu. Yeah Right, Mom! Can somebody please tell her she had her chance to dress up babies and its my turn now? And I might get only one chance to do so? And if she actually listens to you, try your luck on my MIL too. But a different message for her. That she has got her first and only chance to dress up a baby girl and to actually show or at least fake some interest. I mean for 5 years I was listening to "Is there any good news" every week(!) and all for this lack of interest? I hope at least Ashu is in your will, MIL! (Hey, that rhymes!)

To add to the misery, Ashu got her ears pierced. I got so many mixed feedbacks about the gunshot method, that I decided to go with the traditional piercing with a copper needle. My dad bought a Spray and an ointment which will make the ears go numb. He applied it in his hands and after 15 minutes, asked me to pinch him. I did and he screamed. So he got very upset and locked himself in an AC(!) room. He did nt come out until Ashus ears were pierced. I am very sure Ashu is in his will! :) Ashu sat on my cousins lap and while HD and I held her head, hands and legs, the Aasaari(ear piercer) pierced her ears. HD turned his head away as he cud nt bring himself to look at Ashu crying in pain. I did nt feel anything. Guess, women/mothers are made for this. I just plopped the milk bottle in Ashus mouth and she quietened down immediately. Thats when I felt pity. Poor thing! Whats the need to pierce her ears, I don't know? Guess, we are just going with the flow and doing what we are supposed to do. I felt very bad that I did nt have the guts to rebel! And in a couple of months, we have to shave her head! Oh God! Why?

ps. Sorry for the long delay. Was busy with a million things!