High Five, Aditi!

Hi Aditi!
You naughty little thing. My cuddly ball of fun.
You try so hard to crawl but are able to only wade in the same spot. Though you turn very rapidly & frequently and hold your head up happily now.
You adjusted to the spoon- bowl method of feeding on my milk pretty soon, making my move back to work fairly comfortable.
You recognise all at home and ensure that you get your fair share of attention from all of us
You switch loyalties from your paati to me as soon as I step in home from work.
You hold long conversations and yell to be picked up if you see someone after a gap- in particular me or your father.

And some idiot actually doubted if it would be possible to love u as much as her first born!!

For the record- Love you kunjumollay!
Ammmmmma ( as you seem to call me sometimes)

Chennai Activity Centre

Lalit Kala Academy is hosting a Japanese golu like event in early March, among other Japanese skills such as origami and Flower arrangements.

Dakshin Chitra has the Ugadi fest on.

If you missed Scholastic's story telling sessions, Hippocampus's Hootales 2010 is on from today in Chennai. Look here for the schedule.

Action Weekend

Finally availed the Lifestyle coupon and got cute lehengas for Aditi.
And lo behold we were given 4 dupattas kid size with them !! Truly a clearance sale.

Relaxed our rules on toy guns and swords and got Anush a thermocol/ felt sword.
She herself said she would not fight anyone but mosquitoes with it!!

Went for two movies over the weekend!!
Goa , a let down from the Venkat Prabu stable and Avataar , again not as excviting as I thought it would be. The philosophy and teh langauage of the natives seemed very Indian to me,.
Anush on Avatar, looking at the counter ticking away- " The numbers are moving so fast but the movie so slllllloooooow amma!"

Here is my review of the most talked about book for kids in the Indian mommy blog realm as of now..

What's in my hand...?

Got 40 wonderful Tulika books yesterday. My long pending visit to their office materialized....
 
And which of these books did we read first- Dinaben and the Lions of Gir!!

Why  is it special? Go here to know more.

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I had to record this for posterity- Anush is like a character in an English musical- she breaks into song for almost every situation- inserting words of her own to some known tune or  her own tune 

This morning it was " Is it possible?"  rendered in some ten thousand ways !!

Valentine weekend

Anushka and her father went to the mini golf course at OMR this Sunday- thoroughly worth the small entry fee. Though Anush wielded the club more like Gatothkaj rather than Tiger Woods....

We went to Ashvita a cafe that has been advertising heavily
Nice food, though limited menu and great ambiance
They also have a book store with all Tulika, Blaft and Tara books.
Also got to eat star fruit.

Milestone
Aditi is at this stage of locomotion- kind of prostrating .... but moving backwards or downwards as the case may be
She has also taken to being fed with a spoon...

Milestone?
I have not seen any Tamil movie in the last 5 months!!
I am dying to see Ishkiya.
Finally getting a new cell phone after over 2 years.

City
BTW Cotton world sale is on.
Mc Donalds is opening in Velachery

MMM

Chandamama Feb issue carried this glowing letter from a reader on Mister Muthu- I am flying!!
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Pl catch an interview of Sowmya Rajendran at Saffron Tree- a really charmingly witty author.

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Bt brinjal aside, I wish to state my concern that I hardly get to see Kamala oranges anymore. Ditto with Indian corn We found a few Kamlas yesterday and I was telling Anush their name, since she called them baby oranges, when she chuckled and said Kamala Narayanee Aditi?

Pop up time

OUCH!! IT is that time of the year again. I hate tax planning, investment and the related documentation. . . Did I say that before?

Anyway here is the first pop up that Anush andI made based on Robert Sabuda's site.

The weekend

Anushka and her father went for the Extra Terrestrials show on Sunday and this is what Anush said when she came back" Ammmmazzzzzing amma!!" and went on to describe each act in great detail....


Here are Anushka's paper crafts for this month's Artsy Craftsy Paper craft Challenge at Shruti's place. We had a lot of fun doing it. . .

A human chain done by folding accordion style and cutting... all painting and drawing courtesy Anushka- she plans to give it to her school to remember her by!!
Some paper dolls - Tamil politicians, A couple

The Windmill- A paper cut and paste job- only help offered by me was on the windmill
Anush and Aditi- as per Anushka

Here is my review on pop up books at Saffron tree. Do visit.

Freedom to be

I was explaining Independence Day to Anushka

In that context I had to explain freedom

Told her that the horse we had seen tied was not free and when released it was free and happy

Then tried to explain how foreign invaders had taken India without permission and then how we became free

All this while I was holding Aditi in my arms.

She asked me to release Aditi into her crib so that Aditi could be free!!

Updates

My visit to office went off well with a warm welcome from those who matter.

Aditi and my mother managed well and my regular maid pitched in as well.

Today I will go for a longer duration and Anush may also miss me. But I feel everything will regularise in a week or so. Let us see....

Do check out my review at Saffron Tree of a book we love and the new episode of Mister Muthu( refer the right side- bar)

Trial run

I have not left Aditi for longer than an hour since her birth, usually when she is asleep. We do not have a nanny. So I handle her myself almost all the time. My mother chips in when necessary, when Anush and Aditi are being difficult/ ill at the same time or when i have been dead tired.

The last two weeks, I have been emboldened by my attempts to stay away from Aditi for longer intervals....yesterday I took Anushka to the beach and had a great time... She is back to enjoying the waves and the water and took all the rides possible two times!! What we missed were the much awaited Tree of Life sand sculptures.... we bumped into a few others who were also disappointed/ disgusted by the festival guys not informing a cancellation or whatever it was...I digress....

I need to return to work shortly. I am, however, not sure how Aditi and I will cope for an entire day. I plan to ease into the routine slowly.

Aditi's food seems managable though challenging- especially extracting at office. Aditi seems ok with being spoon fed extracted milk. This is critical since I did not use a bottle for Anush and do not wish to use one this time either.

And my still clingy Anushka, though she shows signs of "weaning" has got used to having me around 24 *7.

While I wish to appoint a nanny, when I am at work, my mother is not in favour. Her comfort is important to me when I am away...she says she will extend the top help maids timing if required....

I am sure we all will rise to the ocassion. Anyway I am clear that if things do not work out I will again extend my leave. After all I need to do full justice at office when i get back. Can't be torn and do well anywhere.

To the beach

To the beach I like to go
Play with sand and balloons so

While at it I ride the Ferris wheel
And the merry go round with the cars

And when its time for us to leave
Papa buys me egg frankie

Fun and frolic is what I had, With my dad I went at last



This is one of the few recent outings sans me that Anush managed