Darling Aadi,
You turned 15 month old on the 30th of June and I still haven’t been able to write to you,to congratulate you for this milestone.Well, you know why right?Let me tell you,again. Its because,you have taken a fancy for the keyboard,which turns into a strange dislike,as soon as you see Mamma using it.
You start pulling the mouse, pulling the keyboard and if nothing else works,you know where the magic button is.The one that makes the screen go blank(the sleep button) and every time You want my attention,you just go and hit it..I wonder how you figured that one out.
I can’t believe it one year back, you were a tiny 3 month old, who was beginning to love tummy time. You would coo the moment we entered the room and whine,if we left you alone.Now, you just follow us around everywhere.
You are so expressive now. You know evenings are a time for your “Cheez” snack and you tell me cheez and go wait by the fridge. When you want something you just point at it and expect us to give that to you.I am amazed at how you decide when you want milk and when water or juice.You just love hanging out in the fridge literally..The moment I open the refrigerator door,you leave whatever it is that you are playing with and come running to stand inside the open door.I think you like the cool air. On one such time,you picked up the juice can. And kept following me around with it,till I didn’t pour some out for you.
Aadi, you really know your mind and your memory is getting stronger. If I say I am going to give you cheez and give you fruit instead,you don’t like it. If I take away something from your hands,and you spot it later,you grab it at the first opportunity. You remember what you were playing with last,before going down for your nap,or before bed time.As soon as you wake up, you go to the exact spot,where you were playing last and pick it. You current favorite toy is your MP3 player.You love listening to the songs it plays over and over again.
Of course your other two loved toys are Angie and Dolly and mamma will write about them soon.
But, Aadi what is the deal with all these tantrums? You get so angry,if I say No to you..You get so upset,you want to scratch whatever is in front of you-my hand, my face, my dress..whatever. I asked your doctor on your 15 month check up and she said,its because you may be frustrated, about me not understanding what you want to say. I wish I could understand all that you try to say..because God knows,I am trying. I ask you questions..Do you want this? do you want that? Do you want to do this? and I think that makes you upset and impatient too.
Don’t worry little one,we’ll get there..when,you will be able to say what you want,and I will be able to understand it..because,I know you are trying to say a lot.
The newer words that you have said are- Understand!! What? wan thisss .Nonu..There are so many,I can’t even remember now…but you are talking a lot..and when I say a lot ,i mean A LOT!
You want to eat everything yourself now with a spoon.When you get tired of playing with the spoon you just drop it and dig in with your hands,or call me. It is so sweet the way you call me..so sweet,so clear,”Mamma” And you keep calling me,till I don’t appear in front of you. You call your Papa,Aba or Ama depending on your mood..and when he isn’t looking..or when you feel very affectionate,you call him”Papaaa” very sweetly.
Another sweet thing you do is..giving us kissies..we ask you for one and you give it to us.. with a loud Umaaah sound. 🙂 And sometimes when we are in bed,and you between us,you take turns kissing us..which just makes us so so happy.
These days your reactions around your papa,keep changing all the time..when I am around,you are happy and playful around him..but when I step out or disappear from your line of sight,you just start crying..I know its a cry for attention..Don’t worry we’ll get that one sorted out.
Oh and before I forget,you love your new shoes.In fact you love them so much that you want to wear them,as soon as you wake up. And sweetie, whats the new fixation with walking around top-less? You just don’t like wearing any shirt or top specially in the afternoons..its a funny site,seeing you walk around,with your pants/shorts/diapers and new pink shoes..but no top/shirt!
And little one,its about time you started sleeping through the night,don’t you think? Every night without fail,you wake up at 3.00 AM and crawl into our bed..And hug me tight. Which is nice and cozy..but sweetie,I would like to sleep peacefully,without worrying about crushing you. So think about it ,OK?
I think I will stop here..but before I go,I just want to tell you, how much I love you,how much your papa loves you..And though we may yell at you for throwing tantrums..when you cry,we hurt too. You are really our Sunshine..The only Sunshine.
Love you baby-girl.
Oh,and I forgot to write- You have been sporting those cute ear-rings now for one whole year..yes ma’am..We got your ear’s pierced on JULY 4th,2007.So, YAYyy..you’ve been a good girl!
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
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Finally the pics that I have been promising you :
I present Aadya on her bike,as she likes to call it :
Aaja Aaja Mumma,she says here
Ok, Ride over,off to find something new
Aha! the cell phone..the favorit-est thing in the whole wide world
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It has been a very emotional day for us today.We finally made up our mind and cleaned the garage.And that meant removing or getting rid of a lot of Aadi’s stuff that she hadn’t been using-like her swing,the walker,play-pen. I had no intentions of giving up this stuff..These things had too much of emotional value,but sometimes,you need to be practical. All this stuff was just taking up a lot of room and it was all in a very good condition,at least someone else could use it. So, we decided to go to Once upon A Child.The first emotional breakdown happened when,Sanj was loading all the stuff in the car.Since,everything was already packed we didn’t need to do much. But the walker was unpacked.Aadi saw it..and started playing with it.Even climbed in and out of it..all by herself!!!! So,it was the right time to give it away. As soon as Sanj picked it up, she started crying,screaming..Nahi nahi nahi..NOOOOOOOOOOO No no no…And she was inconsolable. She was crying so hard and for so long,we decided to let her keep the walker for some more time. But soon,she got interested in other stuff,and forgot about it. Of course,not before sulking and giving cold treatment to Papa!
At OUAC,they opened all the boxes -first the play pen-the lady there set it up so effortlessly,and to think,we struggled every time,we put it up. But with the opening of that first box,all the memories came flooding. Suddenly I could see everything like it was happening in front of me-everything from choosing the brand and style to seeing Aadi in it the first time.
I remembered how I used to spend hours looking for just the right stroller/swing/play-pen..then forward my searches to Sanj,then we would go visit a few stores to see the shortlisted ones. We put together each of these things,with me reading the instruction manual and Sanj,following my instructions.We couldn’t wait to see the baby using these things.
I remembered the first time,I put Aadya in the play pen..It had become her makeshift crib or her day-time bed. I used to keep it in the living room or the den. It had a detachable mobile,which would play music and nature sounds..and every time,Aadya was fidgetty,I would play the sound of water,cooing to her softly..saying again and again,ohh wow..just like mumma tummy..and it used to always calm her down.
I remembered her waving her fist and cooing and gurgling to the teddies hanging from the mobile.This mobile didn’t move.So,Sanj used to move it manually and she would coo,and they would be at it for hours together..It was so hard,seeing it there,in a strange place..I felt like we were giving away a part of our life.
Then,they set up the swing..The swing had become sort of a life saver for me. But the first few days were rough. Aadi would start crying the moment we put her in the swing. I have a video(courtesy Sanj) of me sitting on the floor, slowly rocking her,and she is crying and holding my fingers tight..and all the while,I kept telling her..Oh wow..aap toh swing main baithe ho(* you are sitting in the swing) and some other random blabbering..that I dont even remember now..And she kept crying all the time.She was a little over 1 month. So,Sanj suggested that we should let her sleep and then slowly put her in the swing,so that when she wakes up,she realises she is in a safe place.We did..and it worked. And then,life was so much easier.We had hot meals on the table,thanks to this wonderful entertainer.I would pull it up,near the kitchen entrance and finish my work-cooking cleaning etc,while she watched me,or listened to music or even dozed off.
Seeing them,set up the swing,Sanj also got all emotional,he squeezed my shoulders and said..”you remember the first time,we put her there” and I said..”I do..but please don’t make it harder for me”.
Then,they saw the stroller..Aadi slept in it one last time,just before we gave it away.And just before giving it away,I figured out that there was some sort of shield,to make it into a cozy crib.We had deliberated so much over the choice of the stroller,we had decided on the brand..but it was the color and pattern,that we were debating on. We knew it was a girl,so,I wanted to get a pink one. But we hadn’t disclosed it to our families, and so Sanj didn’t want them to feel offended and wanted us to go with a neutral color.Finally,we chose a denim with a cute pink trimming,but almost everyone thought,it was a boy’s stroller .And we used it extensively and it was beginning to show signs of wear and tear. It was time to give it up
Aadi woke up as soon as I lifted her out of the stroller. Sanj came forward and took her from me,as if he needed to feel his baby girl close to him. He took her to see her swing and told her how,we had put her in it,when she was a baby..I distractedly caught snatches of their talk,as I tried to concentrate on what the lady at the store was telling me.
When I finished,I saw the cutest thing ever-Sanj told Aadi-Chotu,we are going to leave your swing here..you used to sit on it when you were a baby..chalo,lets say bye..kissie kar do isko( give it a kiss) and Aadi,went forward and gently planted a kiss on the swing.
My heart broke,I just wanted to pick up everything and put it back in the car.These were my memories and I didn’t want to leave them there..I didn’t want to SELL them or give them away.But then,in this Nomadic life,its so hard to keep collecting things..I knew I couldn’t afford to take them back..another move may be on the cards,real soon and then,I would have to leave these things behind anyway.
My only consolation is all the pictures and videos that I have..that way,my memories will be safe..
We used the money that we got from selling this stuff,to finally get the new stroller that we had been putting off.We had initially planned on getting a cheaper stroller..but,when we went to the store,we really loved this stroller.But it was way beyond our budget..and as a rule,we never charge any of Aadi’s things to the Credit card. The money we got at OUAC just added up perfectly to our original budget and now Aadi has a brand new stroller.Its still in the box..I will share pictures when I click some.
Editted to add :For some reason,I am not able to create a link for Once upon a Child..But here is the site
http://www.ouac.com -
Yesterday evening,we were out-first went to the library and then off to munch on some yummy Chaat.The local Indian store has 99cents chaat specials on Wednesdays and we are kind of becoming regulars there.Come Wednesday and the chaat cravings kick in.
Anyway,so we had just left from the library and big rain drops started splashing on the car’s windshield.By the time,we reached the Indian store,it was pouring and there was lightning too. But it was a hot day and this rain was welcome.
The first thing I noticed,as soon as I got down from the car,was the smell of wet earth and that I think is the most wonderful smell-of course next to baby breath. I got Aadya out and she was excited.She loved the water falling on her face and didn’t want to go inside.
But Texas rain showers don’t come alone- they are accompanied by thunder and lightning too .
But,almost without thinking,in my mind,I was transported back to another time-when I was a teenager.
We were living in XXX colony,company provided accommodation,in Bombay.And there were about 15-20 kids in the same age group. Monsoon is the most awaited season in India and more so in Bombay..you love rains,you hate rains.. but then,you love rains!!So,the slightest drizzle and we would all don our shorts and go downstairs,calling all our friends..Then,then fun began. We would walk around the colony,getting drenched,sometimes a couple over enthused dads would join us.And then,we would coax them,to take us for a drive,so we could get hot hot vada-pav and cold lemonade.That combination is just out of this world..and so the dad’s didn’t really require a lot of coaxing.As we grew older,and some of us,got their own driving licences,then,we would all just pile into a car or two and take off. Those are some fond memories.
Either that,or meeting on the terrace of one of the buildings,mostly it used to be our building,may be because my friend Tina’s parents were so cool..so may be because we were so cool…either ways,it worked..And then we would play catch..and someone would slip..and yours truly would be the first to slip..ALWAYS! I remember one time,it had just drizzled for 10 minutes..and like I said,we just needed the excuse,we decided to meet on the terrace playing catch.I opened the door,set one foot inside and the next thing I know,my feet were in the air and my butt on the wet terrace. The only other thing I remember from that day is the sound of hoots in my ears and tears stinging my eyes..Ohh and also the stinging pain in my butt!
But,whenever I think of those days,I can’t stop smiling.Come rain or hail,we had to meet..On another such rainy day,some of the trees had fallen down.Mom was obviously concerned and asked us not to go down..even chiding us,”You both will be the only fools,going downstairs in this weather,” Well teenagers are rebels,so we went,my sis and I sharing an umbrella,reached our usual spot,from an out-of-the-way road(remember the trees had fallen) and Lo!Behold! The whole lot of us,was there!!! We were probably the only 10 fools!!
I wish Aadi gets to have such fun..Well, not till we are in Texas..No matter how cool I pretend to be,I am not going to let her go out in thundering showers..But,may be someday,she’ll get to enjoy Mumbai rains..and may be even coax her dad to get wet and take her for a drive,just so she could eat the Vada-pav and sip cold lemonade.Oh but wait,may be she’d want to go out for a burger and milkshake..Or if her dad gets to have his way,I would be in the kitchen,frying hot bhajiyas.
Here’s hoping it rains some more…
