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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Fourteen Months Old !

29th December, 2008:- The last month has been a mixed bag and I turned fourteen months old yesterday. The first few days just flew & the next few just wouldn't come to an end. I spent a fortnight at Nani's place and for Daddy, the fortnight seemed like an eternity.

It's been a busy month celebrating Daddy's birthday, X-mas and Grandma's birthday. Daddy says that my scorpio traits are now showing up more than ever. Here are some of the evidences presented by him to support his theory:-

- If I'm not in a mood to eat, you can try all the tricks in the world without succeeding!
- If the TV is on, it has to be either MTV or 9XM playing some cool songs like Pappu Can't Dance (yippee !!)
- If Daddy is working on his laptop, he has to stop the work and play a cartoon movie till I get bored of it
- If he tries to make me walk on my own & I'm not in a mood to do so, he has to admit defeat whether it be in 2 minutes or 20 minutes (It does not take that long, trust me !!!)

My sense of recognition has improved remarkably over the last one month & now

- I can switch the lights on/ off
- I can pick up Daddy's cell, dial a random number & say 'Hello' :P
- I can point to my head, eyes, ears, nose & tummy :)
- I can tell how a dog barks, how a cat meows & how a lion roars !
- I can point my house from a distance when standing on the corner of the street
- I can alert Mamma or Grandma when it's time for susu/ poti ;)

As usual, it's been great fun and now I look forward to an equally mischevious 2009 !!

Happy New Year to Every One & God Bless You All !!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thirteen Months Old !

29th November, 2008:-

I have turned 13 months old yesterday. Daddy says that I'm a big girl now and must learn to behave like one :(




I'm growing up too quick to Daddy's comfort but I really wonder when will he grow up? :P

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Hair We Go - Finally !!!

13th November, 2008:- After the joyride in last week of October (My first birthday and Diwali), I was hoping to have a good time on festivals in November as well. It was Guru Nanak Jayanti but my family had other plans in place for me :(

Over the last couple of months, my hair had developed cute natural curls and Daddy fell in love with them. He absolutely loved it when I woke up in the morning and the curls were at their sleepy best. As a result, he used to strongly oppose any talks of a hair cut or the supposed 'Mundan' ceremony. However, it's a mandatory custom in a punjabi family and there's no escaping it. I escaped it during October as Daddy did not want a baldy baby birthday celebration. Guru Nanak Jayanti is an auspicious day so it was decided that it would be the perfect occasion to end one & start another hair raising story.

Everybody in the family was up at 7 AM, all dressed up and ready to leave by 8 AM. We left for the sacred Galta temple which is amidst hills and a monumental climb :)

That's me & Daddy feeding a couple of cows at the Galta temple.




The two hour climb to the temple followed. When we reached the top of the hill, surprise surprise !! Monkeys every where & just about every where :) Daddy took out the camera but the priest advised to put it back in his pocket otherwise one of the expert monkey photographers might just snatch it. We did a short puja at the temple with Pandit Ji and started our decent. The hill is so steep that while it took 2 hours to climb, the decent took just 30 minutes :)

We were back home by 11:30 AM and all set for 'Operation Ganju' to begin :)



Daddy kept playing with me & tickling me so that I had no clue of what was going on. I realized it only when the job was 90% done. I cried for a few minutes on seeing my lovely curly hair falling in pieces on the ground. The 'Mundan' ceremony was complete in less than 20 minutes and I was in my new 'Bald' look.

What followed for the next few hours were expert comments by Daddy:-

1) This is perhaps what inspired the 'Ghajini' look. Let's talk to Ghajini producers and make me the brand ambassador for the movie (Ridiculous !!!)

2) ganju patel teri khopri mein teyl
maaron gi danda niklay ga teyl :)

3) Babu Lal, Chane Ki Daal
Reh gayi topi, ud gaye baal :)

Mamma, mere baal wapis kab aayenge ? :(



Warm Regards,
Ganju Patel !

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Happy (1st) Birthday !!


29th October, 2008 - Finally, D-Day arrived !! Having slept early last night meant that I was up early the next morning. I was greeted to gentle hugs, loads of kisses & 'Happy Birthday' wishes from Daddy, Mamma, Grandma, Grandpa & Bhua. One year completed on Planet Earth, Yippee !!

Looking at the glint in there eyes, I could make out that it was a different day, perhaps very special for them. Daddy took the day off from office while Mamma decided to go to college for an hour, wrap up the important work & join Daddy in preparing for the celebrations.

That's me on 29th morning enjoying some sweets & teasing Daddy :P



Bhua & Isha Didi were to arrive in a few hours from Bikaner so everyone including me was eagerly awaiting for them to arrive. Daddy & Mamma took me to a nearby temple to seek God's blessings. Soon, Isha didi arrived and I had a great time playing with her. Daddy & Mamma visited Hotel Rockland a couple of times during the day to see that the decoration & food preparation is going on well. I slept a couple of hours in the afternoon as it was going to be a late night today. Time flew and soon we were getting ready for the birthday bash.

Grandma dressed me up in a stunning red lehenga which she had gifted me for my birthday. Mamma said to Daddy that I was looking so cute so she would put an additional kaala tikka (besides the one daily dose, yawn !!) on my forehead. If Mamma were to have her ways, I would probably have atleast 4-5 kaala tikkas all over my forehead & she would shoot all buri nazar waalas on planet earth. As usual the picture below shows me bemused (& confused) about the fuss over kaala tikka :-




All of us reached the venue by 6:45 PM and it loooked very beautiful under lights. Since there was still some time for the guests to arrive, Daddy went on to get the cake and take care of last few pending details while I enjoyed some cool photo sessions.










The whole place was covered with lights & baloons. I did manage to grab one. That's me blushing behind the baloon as Mamma took another pic of mine.



















That's Isha Didi, looking cute as ever ! For an 8 year old child, she's remarkably mature & has a great sense of understanding. Daddy often says to Mamma that when I grow up, I should be like her. Daddy, I've noted that down and will add it to your list of expectations (I'm an year old & the list already has 50 odd items, Dear God, save me from the cruel expectations of my loving parents !!!)















The cute yummy cake has arrived !! Mamma, can't I have a bite now and we can cut the rest later when all guests have arrived ? :-P



By 9 PM, almost everybody we'd invited had turned up. The guests included close relatives, neighbours, Daddy's childhood friends and their families, his office colleagues and Mamma's college colleagues. I was having a gala time with so many small kids around:-

Eshika - She's 3 months younger to me, a neighbour and a very good friend of mine.
Jasman - Although she's 3 years old, I love playing with her almost every evening. She's a neighbour and often drops by at home to play with me.
Satvik - My younger cousin brother, he's 3 months younger to me.
Jiya - She's born on 19th October so we are of the same age. Her delayed birthday bash is due in a few days from now. I'm glad that Ill get to see her soon again!
Krishna - He's 2 years old and I had good fun playing with him.

Soon after, it was time to cut the cake. It was yummy and I'm glad that everybody gave me a slice !! Pity I could'nt have the whole of it :P



While I was playing with kids, Daddy & Mamma looked after the guests. Dinner was served around 9:30 PM in a typical Punjabi fashion and by 11 PM, most of the guests had left (with a few extra pounds). While most of the family members were having dinner, I and Isha Didi took stock of the gifts I had received.

We reached back home by 11:30 PM and unpacked the wonderful gifts that I had received. I was very excited, jumping up and down with joy with no intentions of sleeping for the next few hours :P The gifts includes some really nice dresses, a couple of picture books and lots of cute toys. I & Isha Didi danced on a few songs that I'm realy fond of. Everybody was tired after two hectic days of celebration so we decided to call it a day & dozed off to sleep by 12:30. It was impossible for Daddy to believe that less than 48 hours ago, I was down with fever, in terrible pain & barely able to manage a smile.

Daddy says it's a night that he'll remember for the rest of his life !! He & Mamma had worked hard to make my birthday bash a memorable event and I'm sure these sweet memories will last forever !!

As expected of him, Daddy's overworked brain(yawn) has already set the clock ticking for my next birthday !!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Diwali 2008 !



28th October, 2008 - The last three weeks have passed with the blink of an eye as Mamma & Daddy have been busy preparing for my birthday. The invitations have been sent out and every minute detail settled, now waiting for my birthday bash to happen the next evening !

Diwali is the festival of lights and joy but 28th October morning didn't exactly bring any joy to my family, instead it left them scared and very concerned about my health. I had light fever and was on homeopathic medication since last 2 days, the medication seemed to be taking effect slowly. The body temperature would rise to 101 degrees and then back to normal in every few hours. As soon as the temperature dropped to normal, the brat in me took over to new mischievous activities which made Mamma & Daddy believe that I was just fine :P

Rewinding the memories back to 27th October night, I was not exactly in great health for my first birthday celebrations but the family members were in great spirits - Diwali & my birthday on consecutive days, it doesn't get any better than this. This was until about 11 PM in the night, when I started vomiting. The body temperature rose to as high as 103 degrees, leaving Mamma in tears. Daddy gave me regular medication to keep the fever in check but I would just throw up every 15 minutes. Since it was very late in the night, they thought it would be more appropriate to wait till the morning and take me to our regular pediatrician Dr. Bhasin. As it turned out, this wasn't the smartest decision they ever took. I could barely sleep a minute and I don't remember a night where I've cried more than on this unforgettable night!

3 AM in the morning and Daddy had no choice but to take me to the hospital. The doctor gave me some medicines & I fell asleep (much to the relief of Daddy, Mamma & Grandma) shortly thereafter. I woke up at 8 AM feeling no better than I did the previous night so Daddy took me to Dr. Bhasin.



At his clinic, Mamma just couldn't stop her tears telling him that my birthday party was due in next 36 hours. He assured Mamma & Daddy that I would be fine by evening and that they shouldn't forget to invite him to my birthday bash :P

He gave me some medicines which allowed me to get some more sleep for the next couple of hours. Daddy may curse him often for not paying enough attention to what a kid's parents tell him or for the staggering fee that he charges but the truth is that his prescription works wonders with me !!

I was back in perfect health in the next 4-5 hours and participated in the Diwali Puja at home with my usual mischievous mood. I burnt a few crackers with Bhua and then went to sleep early (much to the courtesy of medication !!). God has his own ways of telling us that he's there for us always. He may test our patience some times but that's only his way of making us stronger.

The gloom that had spread at home in the last 12 hours was gone & my smile back everybody back into a cheerful & joyous mood, waiting in anticipation for the next evening !!

Let's have some fun again, here I come !!


















The mischievous smile is coming back, Cheese !!










Thank you God for everything !!!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Birthday Bash Preparations !!



As soon as October 2008 started, Daddy & Mamma switched to top gear to prepare for my birthday. This was the time which they had been so anxiously waiting for the past few months. Although Mamma had her (dreaded) PhD mid-term examinations & Daddy had peak work load (which is a norm for the last 8 years - yawn !) stretching to a 14 hour work day, they were super excited about getting everything right for planning my birthday celebration.



The in-house discussions which usually involve cursing why it's so tough to do a PhD (Mamma), why the clients are do demanding (Daddy), why we should invest in property (Mamma speak)) & why we should instead save for my bright future (Daddy of course) stopped at least temporarily and my birthday bash planning took center stage. Besides the usual gossip, they pondered over every useful & usless detail.



* Whom to invite? If there's ever a time to identify your loved ones - family & friends. It is now :)

* Venue - Whether celebrate at home or in a hotel? Celebrating at home would be tough to manage with a sizable guest list. Organizing it at a hotel and inviting more people would mean that we would miss the warmth of the near ones & that homely touch.

* Food/ Menu - Punjabi, eh ? Need I say more. Apart from 'Paneer' & 'Daal Makhni' which are de-facto menu items in any punjabi function, they discussed (read fought) over every other possible item.

* Cake - Thankfully, there was not much fight over this one. They showed me a picture book containing a huge collection of cakes. I pointed my finger towards one which looked really sweet and the matter was closed.



After a comprehensive survey of 10 near by hotels (Courtesy Daddy) and never ending negotiation deals (Mamma Who else !!), Daddy & Mamma finally decided that they were going to organize my birthday bash at Nimantran Banquet Hall, Hotel Rockland which is at a stone's throw (Did I mention that Daddy did throw one in wee hours just to confirm that) from our home.

Diwali on 28th October and my birthday on 29th October and just a week to go !! Time is flying for sure :P

Monday, September 29, 2008

Eleven Months Old !!


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Eleven gone, one to go !!

Sometimes, numbers can sum up our lives so beautifully !!

Mamma's Birthday - 19th September
My Birthday - 29th October
Daddy's Birthday - 8th December

19th September + 39 Days = 29th October
8th December - 39 Days = 29th October

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Ba !!

I'm glad that after yelling this word on the top of my voice numerous times every day, Daddy now knows what I mean when I say 'Ba'.

Saying 'Papa' may be difficult enough as I learn how each alphabet is different than others but 'Ba' is managable. By God's grace, Daddy & everybody else in the family now understands that 'Ba' refers to Daddy :) Here are some of the other acronyms from my personal dictionary:-

Ma - Mamma
Da - Grandpa
Aaye - Grandma (Impossible to get the spelling right as the length of 'aaye' varies with my mood)
Huh - Doggie

Daddy absolutely loves it when he reaches home after office and I just go crazy yelling 'Ba Ba Ba ...' until he holds me in his arms and we go for our customary evening walk to the near by park or temple. The same routine is followed every morning when I wake up :)

For the uninformed, 'Ba' usually refers to a 200-300 year old lady usually found in the most boring family soaps on Indian Telivision. The lady just never refuses to die while her son/ daughter marries 3-4 times, her daughter in-law undergoes a plastic surgery (twice !), her grandson dies and becomes alive yet again & what not !!!!

Daddy says 'Vanu, beta tujhe yeh hi shabd mila tha mere liye ?' :(

Friday, September 5, 2008

Driving is fun !!



I love driving, it doesn't matter if it's a small car which Daddy bought me when I was 5 months old or his own car which is getting old now. Since Daddy's car is too big for the entrance of my room, so I usually roam around from one room to another in my small little car. Daddy usually gets scared when I zoom around at a high speed on my joy ride :)



Since I'm not old enough to have a driving license (what a pity !!), Daddy usually drives when he takes me & Mamma out. I enjoy sitting on the front seat along with him and I love watching the action from the window. I don't trouble him at all when I'm in the car and when I do, he puts the seat belt all around me to stop me from even thinking about any mischievous activities.

Daddy, just wait till I'm old enough to drive and you are due for a few good 'Driving Lessons' from me :P

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Chanda Hai Tu !

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This has to be one of the best hindi songs to be brilliantly written & most beautifully picturized. I simply love watching this one !!

Ten Months Old !!

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29th August, 2008 - The flight of time just continues to suprise my family & every passing month seems to come & go every so soon !! As usual, Daddy is left gasping for breath updating this blog for every month gone by.

Mamma managed to do something which Daddy could'nt do in the last 1.5 months - the monumental task was to take my photograph showing my two little toothies :P

More on the toothies later ;)

Friday, August 1, 2008

Me & Mamma !!



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No relation can be as pure & as sacred as that between a mother & child.


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No words can describe it, no images can depict it.


P.S - Daddy, you are a goner !! Mamma warned (ordered is the right word) you not to put her pics on this blog and you've forgetton to obey that. God bless you !

Nine Months Old !

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29th July, 2008 - I turned nine months old. To mark the occasion, I was dressed up by Mamma in this cute new dress. As usual, Daddy's feelings are a mixed bag - he's very happy to see me grow up, learning new things with every passing day but sad that he will miss these days a couple of years from now. He feels that he will miss

* Me sleeping on his lap all through the night and holding him tight whenever I get a scary dream
* Late Night walks around the house when he tries a million tricks to put me to sleep
* Watching the sky and the chirping birds when I wake him up early in the morning and he takes me to the roof of our house or to the near by garden

I wonder when will he grow up & realize that this is how life moves !!!

Monday, July 28, 2008

My Gang - Bittu, Vanu & Appu !

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Left to Right in this pic (Bittu - The Rabbit, Vanu - The Queen of Mischief and Appu - The Elephant)

How can my blog be complete without a photograph with my best friends? It took a long time coming but it is here finally. Some details on my best pals (apart from Daddy obviously :-)

Bittu - Daddy brought him home when I was 6 months old. My day starts with him by my side in the morning and it ends sleeping while holding him close to my heart. I like the soft touch of Bittu's feathers and I'm crazy about the carrot which he holds in his hands. I try hard to snatch it from him whenever he's near me but all my efforts have been in vain so far. I'm determined to tear him into pieces if I don't get the carrot soon.... Bittu, you better beware !!

Appu - Appu has been my buddy for as long as I can remember. He was amongst the first few toys that Daddy brought for me. Unlike Bittu who doesn't move, Appu lives on batteries so he walks around and plays the drum to please me and I love dancing to his tunes whenever he does so.

If you look closely in the above pic, you will notice that Appu lost one arm recently. It's sad but that's another proof of why anyone should not mess with a Scorpio (even if she is 6 months old) :P

Daddy, if you ever needed another reason to be more regular in updating my blog, this should be it. After all, you won't look nice with one arm either :)

Friday, July 25, 2008

Eight Months Old !

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Daddy - You lazy bum, it's just a week to go before I turn 9 months old, yet there is no post signifying that I turned 8 months old on June 29th, 2008.
To make up for his laziness, Daddy often brings me gifts - this blue ball resembling earth is the latest one. Having the earth/ world at your feet and playing with it is a great feeling - literally !!

Monday, July 14, 2008

आ चल के तुझे, मैं ले के चलूं इक ऐसे गगन के तले

Daddy may not be a perfect singer, but he loves singing this for me. I enjoy it till I dose off to sleep :)

आ चल के तुझे, मैं ले के चलूं
इक ऐसे गगन के तले
जहाँ ग़म भी न हो, आँसू भी न हो
बस प्यार ही प्यार पले)-२
इक ऐसे गगन के तले

सूरज की पहली किरण से, आशा का सवेरा जागे
चंदा की किरण से धुल कर, घनघोर अंधेरा भागे
कभी धूप खिले, कभी छाँव मिले
लम्बी सी डगर न खले
जहाँ ग़म भी न हो, आँसू भी न हो ......

जहाँ दूर नज़र दौड़ आए, आज़ाद गगन लहराए
जहाँ रंग बिरंगे पंछी, आशा का संदेसा लाएं)
सपनो मे पली हँसती हो कली
जहाँ शाम सुहानी ढले
जहाँ ग़म भी न हो, आँसू भी न हो ....

सपनों के ऐसे जहाँ में जहाँ प्यार ही प्यार खिला हो
हम जाके वहाँ खो जाएँ, शिकवा ना कोई गिला हो
कहीं बैर न हो, कोई ग़ैर न हो
सब मिलके यूँ चलते चलें
जहाँ ग़म भी न हो, आँसू भी न हो
बस प्यार ही प्यार पले
आ चल के तुझे मैं ले के चलूं ......

Monday, June 23, 2008

Let's Dance !!

I love dancing, irrespective of whether there's any music being played or not :) Here is a short (really short) video of me enjoying myself, who says silence does not have a rhtyhm or a tune :P

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Father's Day !!



Today is 15th June, 2008 and my first Father's Day - What a pity that I'm not with him :( I'm at Nani's place for a short vacation and will be going back home tomorrow.

So for a change, Daddy will celebrate Father's Day with Grandpa back home while Mamam will celebrate it with Naana Ji.

Weird as it may seem to be, Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and for this year, most countries have adopted the third sunday of June as Father's Day.

Daddy, Mamma - Enjoy your day with Daddies !! I'll make up for it when I reach home tomorrow :)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Seven Months Old !



29th May, 2008 - I turned 7 months old today. Time flies !! For sure :)

As I grow up, I'm learning a lot of new things. During the last one month, I've learnt to

* Crawl on the ground, more importantly without falling down. Ouch, the first bump still hurts.
* Walk to every possible corner of the house with my walker.
* Learn to observe the sparrows on the neighbourhood tree.
* Mutter a few words like Aaba, Mama, Aiga
* Shout on the top of my voice when Daddy/ Mamma get tired & stop playing with me
* Dance whenever foot tapping music is played (Daddy, please upload my latest dance video soon)
* Watch serials with Mamma - I rarely bother Mamma when she is busy watching her favourite serials from 9:00-10:00 PM every day. In fact, I've started watching them on and off (Daddy - What a pity !!)
* Play Poshamba with Mamma - She does'nt really know any other game
* Play Bouncy Baby with Daddy - Difficult to explain in words but I enjoy it the most.
* Other new learnings would be best described by video clips :)

Daddy says that these seven months have been the happiest of his life (liar liar !! He used to say the same after seven months of marriage) and he's reliving his entire childhood with me. Mamma never grew up, her childhood is eternal so there's no question of reliving it in her case :)

Monday, June 9, 2008

The First Fall !



It was inevitable and waiting to happen ever since I learnt to roll over on my back and stomach. It happened a few days back & left Mamma in more pain than me.

Mamma usually reaches home around 5:30 PM in the evening and we play for as long as we can before we both doze off for an evening nap. Every thing was the same this evening except that Mamma made a fatal mistake of leaving me alone on the bed as she went to the kitchen to get some Cerelac for me.

With in no time, I was at the edge of the bed and wondering what to do next. My curiosity to touch the ground got the better of me and seconds later, I was on the floor with a bump on my head and tears in my eyes.

I cried out so loud that everybody at home rushed to see my adventure go bad. Grandma was holding me in her arms and trying to massage my head to minimize the pain and keep the bump size as small as possible :) Mamma was inconsolable by then and in a big pool of tears thinking that it was because of her mistake that I was in such pain.

Daddy reached home after an hour or so. I was just fine by then and back to my mischevious self. Mamma had a second round of tears for the next half an hour just in case Daddy did'nt come to know about round one from Grandma and others. Daddy had to give her usual dose of boring lectures about how it's natural for every child to fall in order to understand the importance of standing up. His philosphy can put anybody to sleep and Mamma is no exception :)

Anyway, the pain went away after a few hours and the bump went away after a couple of days. Thankfully and as Daddy says my "Invaluable smile never went away, that's what matters in life. Rest are mere details"

Yikes... what a boring line to end a painful post:(

Friday, May 23, 2008

Acute Diarrhoea :(



There have been a lot of climatic changes off-late in Jaipur - scorching sun & heat one day, rain & thunderstorms the very next day, pleasant & sunny at times and unpredictable at all times :) Such climatic variations often take their toll more on kids than adults.

This time I've been caught in the trap. It's been a long week of pain & illness, taking regular medicines, consulting 2 doctors and lots of care by Grandma, Mamma and Daddy. By God's grace & much to the joy of Daddy, I'm beginning to feel much better since today morning.

He'll hopefully now stop the following:-

* Criticizing doctors on how unprofessional & greedy they are
* Crib about how useless & expensive the medicines are
* Waking up 50 times during the night to see if I'm uncomfortable or in pain
* Taking leave from office or asking Mamma to do the same

Diarrhoea is common in young kids especially those less than an year old. It usually comes from a stomach infection & it's not hard to guess why I had this infection. I have a habit of trying to taste everything & anything so anything that comes within 50 centimeters of my range is bound to be tasted. It includes:-

* Newspaper - I love it - soft, easy to chew; makes a great sound while eating
* TV Remote - The colourful buttons fascinate me
* AC Remote - I'm learning to switch it on
* All my toys - Eating Appu is my favourite pass time

I hate the taste of these medicines. Yuck !!! During the past week, Daddy tried to be clever with me by giving me medicines using my milk bottle but he does not know that I've already developed a strong sense of what's happening around me. He, Mamma & Grandma - all 3 of them :) had to hold me together in order to give me medicines.

I'm glad all their care & love is paying off and am on my way to speedy recovery !! Dr. Bhasin always calls me 'Happy Baby' and today morning, he said that my mischevious smile is coming back. To prove that he's right, I played & played the whole day with Grandma & Grandpa.

Cheer up every body, it's fun time again !!!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Six Months Old !!



On 29th April-2008, I turned six months old. Much to the joy of Daddy & rest of my family, now it's just 6 more months to go before they celebrate my 1st birthday. Although I'm just 6 months old, Daddy and Mamma often expect me to behave like a 6 year old - eat, sleep and do just about everything at the right time :) I can understand as they are first time, over anxious parents who are yet to settle down into parenthood. They'll learn with time :)

I've learnt to sit and crawl on the bed in last one month or so. While it's pleasing for others to see and I enjoy it a lot, it makes everybody in the family nervous as I often crawl to edges on the bed. Those corners seem ever so dangerous to Daddy now. On more than one occasions, I would have nearly fallen off if Daddy/ Grandma would not have caught me mid-air :)

Growing up is fun and it has it's fair share of ups and downs associated with it (literally !!). A child who does not attempt to walk or crawl for the fear of falling down will never experience the joy of learning. Childhood is meant to be fun but it's also meant to be the start of learning experience for any human being (Yawn !! Daddy's Philosphy seems to go from bad to worse)

Signing off this short post with a promise (nth time) from Daddy, that there'll be at least one post every week from now on :)

Friday, April 11, 2008

Susu Factory !!


Now that winters are over, Daddy and rest of the family members have taken a huge sigh of relief. The winters were severly cold this year in North India including my home town Jaipur.

The chilly winters meant more susu, more wet beds, more & more wet bedsheets and a lot of washing up to do ;). Don't blame me daddy because I always give you a warning before I do susu (mostly on your lap) by crying out loud, it's a pity that you don't understand. Mamma is my favourite victim and I just love to do it on her :) and it does not matter to me if she's getting ready for college, sleeping, eating or blah blah.

Grandma is a tough nut to crack because she always takes me to the bathroom in every half an hour or so. She's determined to make me a well behaved kiddo rather than a spoiled brat. Needless to mention that almost every guest who's visited our house and picked me up in their arms have been fortunate to get the acclaimed 'Vanu's Susu dose.

Daddy's business ideas are always ridiculous and this one is no different. Considering my high productivity level and the extra ordinarily high frequency of susu associated with it :), he says that it should all be collected and re-cycled. This will put an end to India's water problems and earn huge profits for us as well. So, in near future, we might launch our first joint venture 'Susu Inc.' with me serving as Chief Production Officer and Daddy as my assistant. The company works 365 x 24 x 7 with no breaks what so ever :)

He also says that if the idea takes off, we'll recruit all new born babies in the neighbourhood and start training them on how to increase their susu productivity. Those interested in getting their kids registered should contact Daddy earliest possible, we offer cash as well as ESOPs for star performers :))

Friday, March 14, 2008

Happy Birthday Grandpa !!



A picture is worth a thousand words - so true !!!!

On 10th March, 2008 - Grandpa (aka Dadu aka Dada Ji aka Bade Papa) turned 69. It's the first of his many birthdays which he celebrated with me. We had great fun celebrating his birthday this year and I hope it's no different each year.

Daddy brought a delicious cake and some tasty food which we all enjoyed. As has become the custom in our family for all birthday celebrations, Daddy just puts cake all over my face :). I don't mind it as I lick it all off and it tastes amazing :)

Grandpa says that he's now in the 2nd innings of his life and I've given him a new lease of life. He's fought illness for a long time with a lot of determination and courage. Life has been full of ups and downs but by god's grace, he's doing very well now and enjyoing retired life primarily playing with me :)

He calls me Vini, Vanu Singh and a bunch of other really cute names. He's waiting for the time till I'm old enough to accompany him to the near by park for a morning walk & an evening stroll. Dadu, I'm waiting for that day as well.

Dadu getts worried if I don't sleep well during nights, if I cry a lot. He cares a lot for me and I do the same for him in my own sweet innocent ways.

Dadu, you are special to me and I love you !!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Pram Queen !




It's been a while since Daddy updated my blog but he's been awefully busy with a lot of things so I'll spare him one last time. Here we go:-

I knew Daddy was planning it for quiet some time. He was annoyed with himself that he was not getting enough time to do things he liked most - update this blog, bring lots of goodies for me and spends loads of time playing and pampering me :)

As I turned 3 months old, he did take time out for a short visit to the market to get a surprise gift for me. He and Mamma brought this beautiful pink pram for me. My first ride, aptly called "Joy Ride". I simply loved it when Daddy put me in the pram for the first time and took me for a ride from one room to another. It did feel a bit scared when Daddy increased the speed but over time, I've got used to it and I enjoy it even more :)

Now that I'm able to sit with support to my back.. I love sitting in my pram and just lazing around. In fact, moving me to the pram has become the de-facto solution to make me stop crying.

I usually get a ride from Daddy in the morning before he gets ready for office. In evening, it's Mamma's turn and she does the honours when she's back from her college. During the day, Grandma and I have long chats, each in our own language while I'm comfortably seated in my pram.

Photo shoots are common everytime I'm dressed up in pink to match the color of my pram. Actually, Daddy does'nt give a damn to the colour of my dress or even to the fact that I'm dressed or not :), he just loves capturing me smiling and enjoying my ride.

There are kids who don't like prams and then there are those who can't live without it. I've transitioned from the first club to the second one in just a month !!

Hoping that these joy rides last forever !!

Friday, February 1, 2008

First Quarter !


On 29th January, 2008 - I turned 3 months old. Since Daddy counts everything in terms of financial/ technical/ project planning terms, so I'm a quarter old now :)

As a kid grows, it develops a sense of recognition. It can recognize some things & can't make sense out of others. Here are the things I can easily recognize now:-

* Family Members - Mamma, Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, Bhua
* My room
* My hands - I love licking my own fingers when I'm hungray & Mamma does'nt understand it :)
* My legs - I believe in the 'work hard, play hard' philosphy so I really do shake my legs as hard as I can while playing.
* TV - This has to be the first thing on the list for sure :). I absoulutely love watching the colorful characters on that screen. Grandma says that it's harmful for my eyes but who cares as long as she does'nt come to know that I'm watching TV :). When I cry and there's no other way to stop me, the idiot box works for me.
* Pram - Daddy promised to write a new post on it so I hope he fulfills his promise soon.

Three months old, I cry a lot more, I smile a lot more, I live each moment a lot more, Growing up is fun !!!!!!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Sakrant - 14th Jan, 2008



If I were to count the dates which Daddy looks forward to in the calendar, it would be my birthday, Mamma's birthday, his marriage anniversary & a bunch of other birthdays and anniversaries.

However, 14th January is the date he has the most fun. It's Makarsakranti, aka Sakrant, the festival of kites in Jaipur. The whole sky is filled with color & people have a gala time in the soothing winter sun. Jaipur is one of the world's most famous heritage cities and some of the festivals here attract tourists in large numbers. For the uninformed, a kite is known as 'Patang' in hindi while a person flying the kite is known as a 'Patangbaaz'. Daddy used to be a renowned kite flyer in his childhood days & he used to start as early as 5 AM in the morning. Grandma often had a very hard time making him study or even eat his food during January while he was in school.

This year was a bit different. He set off for the roof at around 9:30 AM (along with me). The number of kites was steadiliy increasing every minute & the sky was getting more colorful & more beautiful with every passsing minute. Very soon, everybody else (Grandpa, Grandma, Bhua & lastly Mamma) joined us on the rooftop.

In our neighbourhood, everywhere my eyes went, there were people & more people on the roofs of their houses. As soon as Daddy handed me over to Mamma, his kite was reaching out to the skies within minutes. The whole Kheterpal family enjoyed a delicious breakfast on the house roof. It was bright & sunny so we stayed on the roof while Daddy was busy with his kites. The lunch & evening tea were also served by Grandma while we were enjoying the pleasing sunlight of January.

It was a day of fun & frolic which I really enjoyed. I love colors & this day the sky looked like a colorful collage. Wishing everyday was as colorful and funfilled as this day!!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

My First Lohri - 13th Jan, 2008


13th January is another auspicious day in Hindu Calendar, it's time to celebrate Lohri. The first Lohri assumes special significance for married couples and young ones as it's usually celebrated with friends and relatives arriving to bless them. However, it's a strange custom in our 'Punjabi Arora' famillies that it's only celebrated for male new borns & not for girls :(

Daddy does not agree with any useless customs/ superstitions & this one was no exception. So, we decided to have a small celebration at home to mark my first Lohri - I guess it's the official way of signifying that 'Vanisha Kheterpal' has arrived ;)

I was dressed up in a fabulous pink dress by Mamma. She says that pink colour suits me the most & I look best in it. Daddy says that every colour suits me & I look awesome in every dress including nappies (or without nappies for that matter.. shame shame). He just loves me too much to be honest about anything ;)

We lit fire using some wood & performed the usual rituals around it. Daddy had recieved invitations from a couple of relatives for Lohri celebrations. We set off for the first venue where as expected, I was the center of everybody's attraction with relatives queueing up to hold me in their arms. There were also a lot of small kids so I had a good time before I fell asleep because I was damn tired.

The scene was no different at the second venue and we were back home at 11 in the night. Some hindu rituals are terrific & some of them are terrible, this one comes in the terrific category & I had a great time :)

East or West, Home is the best !

Someone truly said that there's no place like home. We reached home at 10:30 AM after the long tiresome journey. As soon as daddy rang the doorbell, grandpa, grandma & bhua were out in a flash to meet me. They were all overjoyed to see me & I could see how much they had been missing me in the last one month.

Withing moments, our house which had been quiet for the last one month was buzzing with my chirps and everybody enjoying it. Till I was 8 weeks old, I did not have any set sleep pattern & it was a mission impossible to put me to sleep more often than not. Grandma, Mamma & Daddy used to try their own tricks to put me to sleep but I stood firm most of the time till they were tired & then I would budge so that we could all enjoy some dreams. Grandma's technique was the most efficient, she would make me lie down on her lap & recite chants & bhajans till I fell asleep. I hardly understand a word of what she said but it sounded nice so I would tend to fall asleep before I knew what was going on.

Some snaps were clicked to mark the occasion of my home coming before we all got a well deserved rest in the afternoon.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Meeting Daddy - 12th Jan, 2008


It was now exactly one month that I had been at Naani's place in Sirsa, my new home away from home. All this while, Daddy was missing me more than I/ Mamma missed him. He reached Sirsa at 5 AM in the morning on 12th January and the first thing he did then was the same thing he had done when he left me at Naani's house one month back - that was to kiss me almost 50 times !

I don't like it when he does'nt shave & kisses me on my cheeks but since he loves me a lot so I'll pardon him for that. I & Daddy were seeing each other after one month. He said to Mamma that my looks have changed a lot in past one month. That's true daddy ! It's the law of nature & that's how kids grow up. I've obviously become more cute than earlier & I've also gained some weight.. oops.. girls are never supposed to say that :)

The most important change he noticed was that I've started to smile a lot more than I used to earlier and respond to people's actions. Till I was 7 weeks old, I mostly smiled while sleeping & enjoying my dreams. But now, I've developed a cute social smile.

We set off for Jaipur the very same night.. yet another train journey for me :). This one was a bit longer than the Jaipur<->Sirsa journey a month back but I slept through out the night & woke up when the train had arrived at Jaipur railway station.

More in next post...

Monday, January 7, 2008

Polio Vaccination - 6th Jan, 2008


6th January was the first polio campaign for the year 2008. Mamma & Nani took me to a nearly Polio Vaccination booth & got me vaccinated. This is my third polio vaccination. The doctor had recommended to Daddy & Mamma that they should get me vaccinated each time there's such a campaign.

I don't really like the taste of polio drops but I don't mind it either as Mamma gives me a full spoon of honey after the vaccination. I absolutely love the taste of honey & I even cry to make Mamma realize that I want some more of it. What a pity that Mamma does not understand my language yet!

Anyway, it's very important for young kids especially those less than a year old. It is a must to eradicate a disease like Polio from our society as it has spoiled the lives of a large number of kids.

I'm quiet happy & so is Daddy as he's coming to Nani's place to take me to Jaipur. I'm excited to be going back home where Grandpa, Grandma & Bhua are also eager awaiting my arrival.

Hopefully, the next post will be from Jaipur with Daddy sitting besides me!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Missing Vanu!


For a change, I won't impersonate Vanu in this one post
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More than three weeks have passed since I dropped Vanu off to Sirsa. Meanwhile, I've been shuttling work & home between Gurgaon & Jaipur. I've been missing Vanu like anything. I see her albums every day (difficult to count how many times every day) & she's at the back of my mind through out day (& night - For whatever reasons, I get dreams almost every night ever since I turned 10, Vanu has featured in a lot of them off late)

To make things worse, the train service has been cancelled for January due to fog & poor visibility. I'm now in a fix as to how to bring Vanu back. A 10 hour long bus journey is not a feasible proposition while my in-laws are really apprehensive about me driving down to Sirsa. I slept at 10 in the night on new year's eve, never felt like going out with friends or watching TV, spent a lot of time imagining how I would spend New Year's Eve with Vanu the next time around.

I miss the warmth of carrying her in my arms, her sleeping on my shoulder, changing her nappies, everthing that she did :). I call Jyoti every day to know how her day went. Meanwhile, Vanu keeps everybody busy & entertained at her Nani's place in Sirsa.

I now realize how much I've changed after Vanisha was born & more so after she's been away for a few days. I've always loved & respected my parents a lot. Now that I'm a father myself, I understand what they feel for me and I respect them even more. I value relationships more than anything else in my life and I don't have words to describe the bond that I share with Vanu.

Perhaps, the more I write about it, the more I'll feel sad about it. So, I'll just wrap this up hoping that I meet Vanu soon.

Vanu, Daddy loves you & misses you a lot !!
Hugs & Kisses from Daddy

First Visit to Naani's place

It's a custom in Daddy's family that kids should not go out (to protect them from evil spirits.... yawn !!) before they are 40 days old. As soon as I touched 40 days, there were a number of phone calls from Naani asking Mamma to come over & spend some time with her. It was winter vacation time at Naani's school as well.

So, Daddy booked the tickets & we set off for Naani's place on 15th December, 2007. We took the 'Jaipur Amritsar Express' train which is usually on time & takes 9 hours to reach Sirsa from Jaipur. Since the weather was really cold, I was packed with clothes, more clothes & more of them :) to prevent me from the cold weather. The train departed at 19:30 PM in the evening & I was fast asleep till 1 in the night.

Daddy had read in one of the crap parenting blogs that young kids find it very difficult to cope up with the noise in rail travel, especially when another train passes by in the other direction. I wonder what makes Daddy believe in all these things !!

Anyway, I woke up at 1 & ensured that no one else could sleep till 2:30 AM. There was a doctor on the adjacent seat who took good care of me as well before I dozed off again into my dreams. By the time I woke up again, we had reached Naani's house at 5 in the morning.

Daddy returned to Gurgaon the very next day to resume office duties. He knew I would be away for atleast two weeks so he tried to make up for it by kissing me at least 50 times in less than 10 minutes before he left for Gurgaon. Daddy, your beard hurts !!

More on 'Names' :)

India is a country of more than a billion people & Daddy now realized why India is topping the charts in population the world over. I was born in October, 2007 & in last three odd months, a large (very large) number of Daddy's friends/ relatives/ colleagues/ classmates have experienced the joy of parenthood :)

Some of the names chosen by the recent (& not so recent) parents are amazing ('Rocking' as daddy calls them) so he had to dedicate a post to them. So, here's the list in no particular order:

Mehek - Daughter of Amit & Shikha (Dua & Dui as daddy fondly calls them). They are both good friends of daddy since his college days in SLIET. 'Mehek' means fragrance & is a lovely name. Mehek was born in Feb, 2007.

Vivaan - Son of Ashish & Jaspreet (Chabbu & Jas - 2 more of Daddy's gang members from SLIET). Daddy had never heard of it earlier. Since Chabbu & Jas stay in US, a modern name like 'Vivaan' is a perfect fit. It means Lord Shiva. Vivaan was born in Nov, 2006.

Vihaan - Son of Meghna & Vikrant. Meghna (or Meghna Madam in Mamma's language) was Mamma's colleague at Amity School of Engg & Tech in Delhi. Not sure what it means but it sounds good & is not very common either. Vihaan is 1.5 years old now.

Akshit - Son of Praveen & Deepika, Daddy's neighbours in Gurgaon. They initially named him 'Jiyesh' as the starting letter came out as 'J'. Akshit sounds better any day, thank god that they decided to change his name :). Akshit is close to turning 2 years old.

Bhavik - Son of Asit & Sukriti. Asit is another one of Daddy's classmate & friend from his SLIET days. He was perhaps the naughtiest character in his class. It's another nice & uncommon name. Bhavik turned 2 years old on this New Year's eve.

Sharon - Daughter of Manju & Pradeep. Manju (err Manju Madam) was Mamma's colleague at Amity & is now based in US. That's one name which sounds more american than indian ! Sharon was born on 2nd Oct, 2007

Aprajita - Daughter of Meenu & Sanjay. Meenu is one of Mamma's childhood friends & neighbours from Sirsa. Daddy says it's a beautiful name & it sure is :). Aprajita was born in May, 2007

Jiya - Daughter of Maninder, a colleague of Daddy from Alcatel. This one is from the 'Karan Johar Book of Names' - short & sweet. One of the meanings is 'Heart'. Maninder is based in Sydney, Australia. Jiya is 2 weeks old now (Hurray, finally some one younger than me :)

Ishaan - Son of Poonam & Munish (Poonam was a classmate of Daddy in SLIET). This one is a bit more common than others. Out of the 50 odd serials that Mamma watches on TV, two of them have kids with this name. Nice name though ! Ishaan was born in September, 2006 (or 2005 - Daddy's fading memory ??).

Rushil - Son of Vikas & Vandana. Vikas was a colleague of Daddy from Alcatel. This one is easily the most innovative & unheard of the lot! It means 'Charming'. Rushil was born in Dec, 2007.

Diya - Son of Puja (Puja was a classmate of Daddy in SLIET). Daddy has lost touch with her after college & he picked this one up from Puja's blog. Diya means 'light', 'dazzling personality'. She shares her name with one of the most beautiful actresses from the Indian Film Industry - Diya Mirza. A name which really appears 'soft' & pleasing to the ears. Diya was born in December, 2007.

Daddy loves the letter 'A' so here are some of them with his favourite letter:

Aarav - Son of Reeti & Dheeraj (SLIET again !!).
Arnav - Son of Malkiat & Preeti (SLIET - is that too hard to guess? :)
Arohi - Daughter of Ritu (ex-Colleague from Alcatel)
Ambreen - Daughter of Manpreet (SLIET's here again)

Okay.. that's been a long list already. Some of the parents have gone the more conventional way & picked more common names, here are some of them:

Siddharth - Son of Vishal & Suprika (Daddy's friends from SLIET)
Krishna - Son of Ajay (a school friend of Daddy)

The list is not yet complete as some of my friends are on their way to planet earth in the coming months :) Daddy, please ensure that you update this list when they are here :)

The 'Name Saaga' continues


Daddy has a habit of going into a shell once in a while and hence a long break since last post :(
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I turned two months old on 29th December, 2007. Daddy read an article few days back in one of the leading newspapers which said:-

"It is scientifically proven that children with names starting with the first few letters of the english language (A,B up to G.. all right... stretch it up to M) tend to do a lot better academically than those with names starting with the last few letters (T-Z)"

I know that it's ridiculous however Daddy is fond of getting worried on getting almost everything as perfect as possible for me. He's had the following argument on this theory:

* The roll number convention in majority of schools is based on the starting alphabet of first name of the child. His schooling story was pretty much the same. A guy named 'Ambreesh' was well & truly a cut above the rest & easily the best student in his class. Dad believed that he got an unfair advantage because his roll number was in the beginning (I know it sounds RUBBISH, that's the way daddy is :)

Anyway, he loves my name & me more than anything else so he won't change it now (that's what I hope). My family has already derived a lot of nick names for me, the list goes as follows:

Vanu - Daddy's favourite, now it's been taken over by Mamma as well
Vini - Granpda's favourite
Pari - Bhua's favourite
Vanisha - GrandMa always insists on calling me by my name. She did'nt have a nick name for daddy either when he was born :)