As you turn ONE

I wonder how fast time flies. Just a year ago, I brought you in this world. The most cherished day of my life. And each day that followed had been a wonderful memory. The whole one year of our life with you has been by far the best year for us. You touched our lives so beautifully, than anything else ever could have.

Wish you a very very Happy First Birthday my honey bunny, the apple of my eye. This first year was marked with several "Firsts". The latest being the First time you walked without support on 13th August, 2009. I have always loved that Johnsons baby oil ad and ur very first steps reminded me of that ad.

You crawled and fell your way upright,
We smiled with joy, a gorgeous sight!
And now you’re one, on this special day,
We love you more, than we could ever say.

Thank you for bringing in so much of love, laughter and happiness in our lives. .. for being the cuddly little bundle of joy that you are... for your gentle touch and your sloppy kisses and for brightening our days with your radiant smile...

Loads of love, hugs, kisses and blessings. Love you baby.

Belated Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Sorry for not being able to wish you here yesterday. But, for very obvious reasons that you know now, I am sure you won't mind.

This birthday was indeed a special one for daddy dear as he celebrated it with his little wonder. The fun part was the magical candles that would relight after blowing out.

So on this special day of yours, all I wish to say is there are several reasons for which I love you and respect you immensely ...

• You are a loving and responsible husband, father, son and a brother
• You put family first.
• You are the first person who I feel like telling, when something is going on in my mind. I love sharing even the silliest of thoughts.
• You never get irritated or angry when I call you even 10 times a day when you are at work.
• You are way too generous.
• You do not spend on yourself for things which we can easliy afford.
• You have a couple of expensive tastes but you don't spend just blindly and wait until we have that kind of money.
• You don't drink, smoke or indulge in any habit or activity that could be harmful to our family.
• You love and respect your parents and how immensely you are attached to them.
• You are a wonderful human being and my pillar of support.

I have spent 3+ wonderful years of my life with you and all I have to say is I could not have got a better husband. I look for you when I need a shoulder to cry. You are the ONLY person I trust completely and have expectations from. I still wait for you to come back from office the same way each day. You are the best dad Eshu could have and the best husband I could have hoped for.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

The lovely grandparents

It is joy beyond bounds to behold your little ones, as they be-hold their little ones. Being a grandparent is a combination of pride and pleasure. Grandparents are a delightful blend of laughter, caring deeds, wonderful stories and love. And they shower more love and more of everything than we parents can do for our children. Their arms are always open no matter what wrong their grandchildren do. They bestow upon their grandchildren the strengh and wisdom that time and experience has given them.

Eshu is blessed with a lovely set of grandparents who have showered their unwavering love on him. Now since both nana-nani and baba-dadi don't stay in Bangalore, I have seen the desperation within them to be able to see him all the time, to be able to hold him, hug him, kiss him or simply be close to him. This desperation of theirs over the phone in their voices makes me wonder, how immense is the love of a grand parent for his/her grandchild. Maybe I will be able to understand it or better said, feel it, when I become one.

When Eshu was born , his dadi was there in the US with us. I remember how happy she was when she held him for the first time .I could see that heavenly satisfaction in her eyes. And the day when she was returning back to India, Eshu was just 1 month 12 days old. She just could not hold her tears.. the seperation felt terrible. She would return back from the door to the room to see him just one more time before she leaves. When we came to India for bhaiya's wedding, Eshu's nana nani saw him for the first time. Eshu was sleeping in the room upstairs and as soon as they got down from the car, they just rushed upstairs to see him, ignorant of all the people in the way. All they wanted was to see him, hold him and love him. I could see their eyes filled with tears at the first glimpse of Eshu.

Now that we are back to India, his nana-nani and baba-dadi have visited us twice in a span of just 5 months. Since Eshu's baba is not able to get enough leaves to stay for a long period with us, I know how helpless he feels when he wants to see him and is unable to. They just satisfy themselves by seeing him over a webcam or the photographs that we send them. They keep seeing them over and over again and even that would not suffice.

Something magical happens when parents turn into grandparents. Their attitude changes from "money doen't grow on trees" to spending it like it does. Eshu loves the company of his grandparents and they way he is pampered. I and Anshu at times scream and shout at him, when he troubles us too much or even at times when we are in a bad mood, the anger just vents out at him. We loose our patience many a times. But his nana-nani, baba-dadi, unlike us, keep themselves so calm and composed no matter what. This is what differntiates them from us and places them high above us. Blessed be these ties that bind generations!

Happy Friendship day

Remembering all those dear people in my life whom i labeled as "Friend". Thank you for blessing my life with your existance.
Wish you all a very very happy friendship day.
May this friendship last forever and may it grow stronger over the years to come!

Childproofing your house

Each milestone requires a different set of things that need to be done to childproof your house. Some of which I have learnt from my personal experiences , some from both the set of parents and some from the experienced friends.

So here it goes:-
As your child starts to roll over, or is about to reach the stage in which babies roll over their tummies, one needs to get alert at all times. Safeguarding all ends of the bed with pillows and never leaving the baby alone. I have had some scary experiences where Eshu fell down from the bed, so its best to place the baby down all times unless and until you are around.
Those tiny heads have a lot going on within, which makes them extremely curious about their surroundings. So never leave anything around them which attracts them and could prove dangerous.

When the baby reaches the crawling stage, there is a lot that needs to be done.
First and foremost, remove all the needed stuff from the ground level that can be reached easily. Secure all the electric points with a tape. Putting their tiny fingers into the power points and switching on and off the plugs is an interesting game for them.
Leave no wire hanging down on the floor. Every thing that reaches their hands, finds its way to their mouths.
Keep all door mats, slippers/sandals away from their reach or vice versa. Shoes somehow attact them a lot.
Never keep the bathroom door open. Be very cautious about closing the door after each use.
Never leave the bucket/bathtub filled with water.
Never leave the main door/entrance open.

There would be several other things which people might like to add to the list with their experiences. Eshu is yet to reach the standing up(without support) and walking stage. But I know the task would only get tougher by the day.

Childproofing your house would never be completely done, atleast till the time he is old enough and understands what is harmful and what does not need to be done. Till that time just be a little extra cautious by keeping an eye on them all the time, because stopping them just won't do the job... it will only make them do more.

Messy and fussy

Ever since Eshu was some 2 months old, he had this habit of sucking his hand, his index finger and middle finger in particular. We found it funny and wierd as we had always heard of thumb sucking babies. This habit has slowly given way to putting anything and everything in his mouth. He bites and licks everything that comes his way-toys, sandals, slippers, door mat, cell phones, utensils, almirah, doors, latches, knobs, and to the extent his very own clothers that he is wearing. Just anyting. The minutest of the particle lying on the floor might go unnoticed by us, but not by him. I stop him as much as I can and finally when I get tired, I just give up. Much of the blame is put on teething. I guess it could be partly or maybe completely true.


At times, he sreams at the top of his voice for no reason at all. All he gains is the attention of the people around and immense pleaure from the reverbaration of his own voice. Who cares whether it is at home or at some public place. Look at his face at that time. How elated he looks when people look around to see him. A task accomplished.


Feeding him is another uphill task. Just 4-5 spoons full of anything I want him to eat and that is it. After that his lips would be so tighly closed that I just can't put anything in his mouth. Or even if I try, he will blow it off with such an intensity that it will end up sticking all over his face, my face, clothes and everything in the vicinity. After repeated efforts, I stop forcing him, because it doesn't work well for him or for me and leaves both of us frustrated.


Potty training seesions have been so much of a mess, that I have stopped doing them for some time atleast. His new potty seat has been fascinating him so much that he tries licking it as soon as I make him sit on that. I am just waiting for the day when he gets potty trained and at least is able to tell me that he needs to poop. Much of my tasks would be relieved then. I was telling this to my dad and he said, once he starts doing that you would long for the day when he starts cleaning it too on his own. I just smiled. I guess he is right.

And now comes the sleeping time. Eshu has been a very very scrace sleeper, anythime of the day or night. No matter how good I masaage him,feed him ,bathe him ... no matter how sleepy he is, rubbing his eyes vigorously or yawning with a full mouth, he denies to sleep. He becomes extremely cranky at that time but just won't sleep. It takes a lot of time, effort and immense patience to comfort him and make him go to sleep.

The list goes on and on... When I massage him, bathe him, dress him up, feed him. He seems to run away from my grip each time. The bowl of oil fascinates him as I massage him. The mug, bucket and the boby wash fascinate him as I bathe him. The cream /powder fascinates him as I dress him up after a bath. The bowl and the spoon fascinates him as I feed him. He has his hand on everything. The curiosity never leaves him. And, the vast reserves of energy and enthusiasum he carries, amazes me.

Each phase passes by ... leaving back memoies which are mostly sweet. Because the phase in which Eshu is or the phases which just passed by have been full of innocence and ignorance. I wish the ignorance disappers slowly but the innocence remains.

Happiness

Watching you sleep is HAPPINESS.

Tracing that curve of your lips as you sleep is HAPPINESS.

Kissing your forehead when you sleep is HAPPINESS

Feeling the warmth of your snuggle is HAPPINESS.

Seeing you smile back every time I look at you is HAPPINESS.

A glimpse of your bunny teeth is HAPPINESS.

Watching you make faces when you like/dislike something you eat is HAPPINESS.

When you crawl so fast and jump to hug me is HAPPINESS.

Holding you in my arms is HAPPINESS.

Feeding you is HAPPINESS.

Singing to you to make you go to sleep is HAPPINESS.

Seeing you scream in delight as I bathe you is HAPPINESS.

Watching you engrossed playing your toys is HAPPINESS.

Feeling your hands run through my face, cheek and nose as though caressing me is beyond HAPPINESS.

And, seeing you happy and content is HEAVENLINESS.

Baby, my happiness lies in every little thing you do.

My happiness lies in your very existance.