15 Marbles

Moments.Musings.Memories. ❤️Gathering little marbles from ordinary days and keeping them for our memory jar. ❤️

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  • 9 and 10 month update

    [Anti-Jinx]

    Its been long overdue.. and now,I should get my act together and get more regular here.I can’t believe it next month we will be celebrating her first birthday!!(Knock on the wood)-so what if its the end of next month..its still next month!

    So, my baby girl is a little over 10 months now..and Boy! she is all over the place! She is cruising around holding furniture or even using our legs as support. Slowly she is taking bolder footsteps.And I saw her take 2-3 independant steps too. This time it was DH’s turn to get mad.. “Why can’t you keep the video camera handy?”

    The day Aadya turned 9 months old,was fairly uneventful,compared to her other monthly birthdays..we were in India,jetlagged and MIL was in one of her moods,so we just spent most of the day sleeping!Anyway..at 9 months,Aadya developed a particular fondness for lifting anything,and the heavier the better! She has a ball -its heavy,basically to help a baby crawl and learn small things like animal sounds etc…it has all sorts of music coming out of it..but you give it to Aadya to play with and all she wants to do is lift it -like a powerlifter and then drop it! Dhumm! and it doesnt matter if its not heavy.. a cushion left on the carpet.. meets the same fate-lift and drop and she doesnt get tired of the routine!

    On Jan 11th,I was getting her ready for bed and was cleaning her face and mouth and I felt something sharp in her mouth..My initial reaction was one of disbelief! but I felt it again..and Lo! my baby had her first pearly white! And she refused to let anyone peek into her mouth..so if she was particularly fond of someone,they could put a clean finger in her mouth and feel it.:) Masi,Aani,Mumma,Papa and Nanu were the lucky ones!Dadu too after a bit of coaxing. Now, the little doll,proudly flashes,two lower incisors.

    Jan 19th,we were in for another surprise.Aadya surprised us by climbing up two flights of stairs rather effortlesslessly.Till now,she never had any reason to be around stairs,but my dad’s house is duplex and so there are stairs inside the house. He even managed to put baby gates there,before we reached.Thanx Dad! Here I have to tell you that his initial plan was to block her path with lots of cushions..Yeah right! like thats going to stop her. After a few conversations with us,he changed his mind. But by the time I reached him place,I had forgotten about it.I mean that was the least of my worries..so anyway,I caught her clumsily following the dog up the stairs,one or two times and promptly stopped her. But,that day,she was surrounded by her aunts and uncle..all ready to spoil her and one of her aunts was sitting on the stairs ..watching her..This little imp,climbed up happily…around 12 steps in 2 minutes..and not waiting to rest,climbed up the next set in less than 2 minutes! Ohh the amount of hugs and cheering she recieved that day and the look on her face- marvellous-she was so proud of herself!!Needless to say,DH and I were walking around proudly for the next two days!

    Now,she is getting very good with cruising. A little before 9 months,she started holding onto furniture and taking a few steps sideways.Around that time,she was also practising standing up alone-without support.Everyone was so surprised to see her stand up by herself. Now,she loves standing up so much,that she hardly wants to sit down,unless ofcourse she is found something to keep herself busy- a glossy magazine or the day’s newspaper.I mean after all it is serious business to tear paper and then chomp it down!

    That or playing Harry Potter or should I say Hermione Granger? Give her a pen or pencil and watch her wave her magic wand.it is so much fun!

    Anyway,she is getting better with cruising and its so much fun to watch her make her way almost anywhere..and I also have to keep my eyes peeled on her all the time!

    On our way back from Shirdi,she started saying bye-wave and all and a soft bye or baah. We were just dropping off my aunt at her place and suddenly,the little missy did this,breaking everyone’s hearts into teeny-tiny bits.

    Her favorite words are Gundu Singh and Mastikhor( naughty one).Say either one and you hear peals of laughter..Oh! the baby giggles,so pure,so cute and infectious!

    She has learned to finger feed herself and so,every evening,I give her some finger food-fruit puffs or tiny pieces of fruit or chicken nuggets and she has so much fun picking each tiny bit and putting it in her mouth!And I get time to just enjoy my tea or get some cooking done. She also knows that if she is strapped into the high-chair,she is going to get her mumm-her food and as soon as she sees water,she has to have her mum-mum!So clear and distinct! one or two times I told her “Mumma is giving you mum-mum and gave her something to eat and she was really surprised,looking out for her sippy cup! She also wants to taste anything and everything that we eat.I kid you not-She has to taste whatever is on my plate..even if she is full and has refused spoonfuls of her own food.So, every once in a while I give her adult food and she is happy. Her favorites are french fries,macroni and cheese,daal-rice,chapati.[J-monster,stay away..PLEASE!]

    On her 10th month birthday, we were again very jet-lagged but this little imp,decided to have her own celebration..She woke up at 4 and refused to go back to bed. I nursed her,still she wanted to play- by around 6 I gave up and fed her some cereal, and then the little missy was fresh and ready to go on with her business..She tried to pull the drawer below the oven,get on the dish washer,pulled down all the CDs and was yank off the DVD player! Hey! I was still jet-lagged and sleepy! Its like she knew that she is turning a month older and so her mischief should increase 10 folds too!

    Life is so much fun and something is always happenning with this little monkey around. The 9 months of pregnancy were such a drag,even if filled with excitement and anticipation..but these last 9-10 months just flew by.Sometimes I feel,I just blinked and my newborn is ready to be a toddler!

    I still have so much more to write,so much reading to catch up on all my favorite blogs and have so many emails to answer..but these days,Aadya seems to think the computer is her sworn enemy.As soon as I sit at the computer desk,she starts whining.No! I am not kidding and she wont quit till I dont stop doing whatever I am at the time.So,I may be a lurker for sometime and may also be slow in posting and replying to your comments..but keep coming over :).It sure is a pleasure to hear from you 🙂
    TaTa..

  • We are back…

    and jet-lagged,happy, tired,home-sick,happy to be home…all at once. Our impulsive trip came to a end a little too soon but all in all we had a fun time.The only bummer was that DH was working,so he was there with us only on weekends.

    First half of our vacation was spent at the ILs..some days were good,some days,the lesser spoken about,the better.But this time we had our very own energiser bunny to keep our spirits high-Princess Aadya. With her around,there was never a dull moment. And she also provided us with ample opportunities to get out of arguments. (Heehahahawhaw)

    While at the ILs, we got a tour of the famous InOrbits mall.I had heard a lot about this one,primarily because a dear friend was involved in the architects team. And then ,the frequent mentions by the lovely lady, Kiran Heck I had plans of meeting her there..but no such luck..meeting someone with ILs in tow..so not-cool and travelling 3 hours alone with a baby,ugh..too tiresome.Sorry Kiran,I couldnt even call you..forgive me?please,pretty please?

    Between meeting ILs friends and relatives and attending a cousin’s wedding and being jet-lagged and caring for a sick baby,by the time I reached my dad’s place,I was ready for some rest and relaxation. And thats exactly what I did.

    As I mentioned in my previous post,my aunt and grandma arrived at my dad’s the same day that I reached there.And my sister had managed to line up a traditional maalish-wali( a masseuse) and she arrived everyday, not so promptly anywhere between 9.30 to 12.00!!! But we were not running on any schedule,so it was fine.Whenever she arrived, I would hand the baby over to my aunt and happily saunter over to my room to slathered with oil! The massage finished,I would enjoy a nice hot cuppa chai,made by someone else and play with Aadya. There were way too many eager pairs of arms to hold her, and while she enjoyed all the attention, her stranger anxiety suddenly was at its peak.She would play happily with anyone and everyone,as long as I was sitting in front of her! If I even got to get a drink of water or go to the loo,she would start crying. So,I would have 10 voices asking me to hurry up,as they didnt want to see Princess Aadya cry. And then as soon as I would pick her up,she would be all smiles,ready to play with the others!

    Though the trip was short,we managed to eat at most of our favorite eateries and also shopped quiet a bit, attended a couple of parties and weddings too!
    We even managed to pack in an adventure-packed trip to Shirdi-I say adventurous,because like everything else,this was also a last minute thing and somehow,about 10 of us piled into a Tavera and headed off to Shirdi. The driver decided to take us there by a scenic route, and ended up making most of us sick and not to mention,spoiling the rest of our plans.The plan was to go to Devlali,my grandma’s place- kind of like take Aadya visiting there,feast at our favorite chat-wallah and then head off to Shirdi. But,we got lost and finally ended up on the road to Shirdi and reached Shirdi a good 7 hours later.Luckily our darshan and pooja was wonderful and that itself made the whole trip worth it.

    When we arrived in Shirdi,the evening Aarti had just started.Coincedently, two years back,when I had gone to Shirdi with my dad, even that time,we had arrived at the temple premises just when the afternoon aarti was starting.Just that co-incidence made me cheerful,after the long journey. We watched the entire aarti on television,while waited in the queue and then got to leisurely feast our eyes on BABA.Something strange happened while we were there. My aunt asked the priests to bless the baby and they did. Infact,they were giving an orange color scraf with “Om Sai Ram” written on it to all babies there. So, they gave one to Aadya too. And happy and satisfied with that, we were about to step away ,when one of the gaurds asked us to wait on the side for a moment. And then, as if in a dream,he came back with a garland and some Tulsi strands and handed it to us,without a word,just a smile on his lips. Why he chose us, in that big gathering,I do not know..but it just made me feel very happy and blessed. For that very reason,this impromptu trip to Shirdi,will always be special to me. Moreover it was our first trip there, together as a family.

    On this happy note,I stop here.. lots more coming up soon.

  • Hello from the other side

    YAyyyyy we are in India. DH had some official work and we tagged along..it was a very last minute plan,I hardly got a week to shop and pack.. but finally we are here. We arrived on Dec 28th and after spending the first half of the vacation at ILs place, we are finally at my dad’s. DH is working in Bangalore but we are getting spoilt rotten.
    Aadya’s first plane ride was fine and thankfully, our whole journey went off smoothly. Knock on the wood..and now I hope the return journey is equally comfortable too. I was worried about her getting an ear-ache or her being fussy- she was a little bored by being confined and the bassinet was a good help when she was sleeping.But it was just right for her,then and as soon as she woke up she would sit up straight in the bassinet.She stayed up most of the journey though, cooing and babbling with co-passengers.
    Our first leg of the journey ended at Frankfurt. And we were really excited to see the airport.But we were in a big disappointment. I mean,it didn’t look like an international airport at all! There were hardly any waiting lounges, people was sprawled on the floor,for lack of chairs. There were a few food carts here and there.. and a couple big restaurants and some duty-free stores. but overall the impression that I got was of chaos. everything was so disorganised.There was a nursing room.And it was nothing but a closet with a wash basin.. not even a chair.I rested my butt on the small ledge and tried to nursed Aadya.. Both of us ended up frustrated. Luckily I found a chair somewhere on the upper level and then, we nursed happily.
    Soon it was time to board our next flight and the chaos that met us at the security point was crazy.. there was absolutely no queue in place and all that was there was a mob. Anyway, we arrived in Mumbai at around 1.30 am on 28th Dec.
    Balancing the luggage and Aadya,we came out and were immediately engulfed in hugs and Aadya was promptly snatched away. Her Masi was the first to come and hold her.I was waiting for the familiar pout and tears to come. But instead I was pleasantly surprised when she rested her head on Masi’s shoulder and smiled. Then everyone- my masi, my cousin, all 3 of Aadya’s grandparents took turns holding her..and she happily enjoyed all the attention.My masi and Aadya’s two masi’s joked around and decided the distance for which each one would hold Aadya so as to share her time with them equally! Soon it was time to say bye to Masis and Nanu and Aani( my masi) and we got in the car with Dadu-dadi to head off to their place.
    We attended a wedding, 2-3 parties, met so many people and most of the time,Aadya has been a happy camper except when she is really hungry or sleepy.
    Now,we are my dad’s and I am getting my dose of pampering while Aani and Masi take care of Aadya. Today for the first since Aadya’s birth,I told my aunt- Please put Aadya to sleep,I want to chat with DH! It feels so weird being just a spectator when Aani is putting aadya to sleep or giving her a bath ..but this is what I was looking forward too na? Somehow,my arms feel empty when I am not holding Aadya..but then,it was so nice to chat with him like old days!LOL
    For now,I am off to a 25th wedding anniversary party and Aadya has a bad cold..so we’ll probably make a quick exit,but its just so nice to be surrounded by loved ones.
    Thanks for checking on us everyone..I wanted to post before leaving but was just too tied up!
    OH and
    Wish you all a very Happy New Year!

  • 4 years and counting..

    December 20th 2007

    It’s our 4th wedding anniversary today and if I look back I can say all in all we have had 4 very enjoyable years- with a fair share of ups and downs. While we have had our bickering..almost every day,we made up almost every single time before going to bed.

    Last year this time, we were waiting for our baby’s arrival and today celebrating our anniversary with her, just was a special experience. Yesterday I took Aadya to the mall and we picked up some greeting cards and a gift for DH. I am big on cards with “just right” words and luckily for me every year I manage to find just the right greeting. This year I found two such..Before I write those words,I have to tell you this- Since the last few days there have been major fights in our household. For no apparent reason,one of us would blow our top and then keep fuming. So much that we didn’t even feel inclined to make up! And I was in no mood to celebrate the anniversary. Anyway,so we fought on the weekend,then patched up..then again on Monday and I refused to talk. The sweet guy that he is,came home early and took me to the mall. I was being a super B**** and refused to walk with him! he still walked along side by side..Sometime later..I dunno when or how,I found myself reaching for his hand and we came home happy.

    sometime later I remembered that I was angry and reminded him half-heartedly and he very sportingly told me he knew I was still upset! Upset! My foot! I don’t even remember now, why we were fighting ..This is what happened last year and neither one of us remembers the reason for that fight too!Are you beginning to see a pattern here?I mean other than the fact that I am the mean one? That we fight..but the important thing is we remember how we made up! And I think that’s what makes him so special..that’s what makes us work! *Knock on the wood*

    Here are the words from my “just perfect”card-

    We just knew

    We knew

    what we wanted
    and it was more
    than just each other
    it was a way
    of being together.

    We decided to take the best

    of what our parents gave us
    and leave the worst behind.

    We listened to what our friends

    had to say,but let a lot of it slide

    And we vowed,among other things,

    never to take each other for granted,
    because we knew love like this
    doesn’t come to everyone….

    And we knew that if we just

    remembered how lucky we are
    to have each other,everything else
    would work out all right.

    And it has.

    It has,hasn’t it?

    Here’s hoping we have many more happy years together .
    And while I was still at Hallmark’s,I came across the cutest card ever and I just had to pick it up.It reads-

    Mom and dad,

    Hope your anniversary is as happy as can be!

    And thanks,’cause if it weren’t for you..

    there wouldn’t be a ME!

    And the back cover reads- Am I thoughtful or what?!!

    We went out for a lovely dinner at a kid-friendly Mediterranean grill called Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill. Oh well, candle light dinners are out..Anyone offering their baby-sitting services?
    Normally,I would spend my anniversary day,pampering myself-you know home facial and painting nails..and the likes,this year just changed diapers. but, here’s the big deal-
    DH got me an 8 GB Apple iPod nano !Thanks Honey!
    I am glad I married you- iPod or not!
    All in all a great day!! Oh! and thanks for all the wishes everyone.
    Edited to add- This post was started yesterday and it was going to be really mushy.Then,Aadya woke up and I got side-tracked and lost my chain of thoughts,so for now this will be it.