Off Blogging...

Blogging has been taking a back seat for a while now and perhaps would continue to. Reason being my little one who is keeping me super busy. I wish to write but as soon as I sit down, think over, write a few lines, after completing all my household chores, he is up all charged up once again and I just cannot continue. I have so many drafts left midway and waiting to be completed. There are millions of things I wish to pen down but I am just not able to. And once I leave them midway, the flow breaks and I find it hard to continue from where I stopped.

At one end as I find myself missing on something I wish to do so desperately, I am making it up with something even more important and meaningful for me... and that is spending time with my hubby and little one. With the festive season in, and a couple of up-coming holidays, all I am going to do is spend some quality time with my family.

Oh... my little wonder woke up and is waiting to be picked up and hugged. Wishing all a very Happy Navratri and Dussehra!

Mard ko dard nahi hota

How painful is it to see your little one being pricked at each vaccination and see him cry profusely? A lot indeed. But my wonder boy amazes me with that even. Eshu was some 6 weeks old when he had his first set of vaccinations(after the ones that are given at birth). There were 3 shots to be given in a row. Now, the mere thought of it was so scary for me as I had seen Eshu cry profusely when he had to undergo some blood tests when he was just a couple of days old. When the doctor came in, my heart started pounding heavily... poor little baby, wonder how much he will cry today. I just turned my head to the other side with Anshu holding Eshu's legs. To our astonishment, Eshu did not cry on the first shot. I credit the doctor completely for it! But with the subsequent shots he did cry. Quite understandable. Now what more can we expect from a 6 weeks old baby? But he showed some signs of being a strong baby.

Ever since, Eshu has never cried in any of the vaccinations. Ok, now that is an exaggeration... But he certainly has not cried in many that followed.. As soon as he would realize something pricked him, we would clap at him, show him a toy or simply smile at him. And that would do the trick!

Now, there was this blood test that was to be done when Eshu was 8 months old. And it was not just a prick. The needle had to go in, stay there for some time to draw in sufficient blood and then come out... which was a matter of quite a couple of seconds. The doctor made him lie down on the table, with the overhead lights on, making the whole thing look all the more scary. Though Eshu had been quite calm and composed on the vaccinations prior to this blood test, this was something which needed him to be more stable which was the toughest thing to be. Seeing my face, the doctor advised to go outside and wait. Anshu, who generally doesn't get that nervous was tensed to the core for this one. I was nervously standing outside waiting to hear the scream of my little one(which was the most certain thing on earth for me this time). Within seconds, Eshu came out smiling on his daddy's shoulders! There was a thick lump of cotton kept in place with a band-aid from where the blood was drawn. And all I did was look in amazement! Hats off baby... you certainly are my wonder boy.

It amazes me even more because for the kind of kid Eshu is, it is difficult for him to stay in one particular position for a count of even 5, except for the time when he is asleep. He is that
restless. So Eshu's blood tests or vaccinations are always nerving, turned surprising for us.

I hope my wonder boy has more and even bigger similar surprises for us in store.
Love you baby!

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.