A Day in the Life of Anvesha

For most of us, life revolves around a set routine, like having tea at particular time of the day, going out for a walk at certain time. This routine is true for even babies and toddlers. Activities that happen at about the same time and in about the same way every day provide comfort and sense of safety for young children. Framing a daily routine for babies is really important since they like a predictable world.

 We had always been so hard pressed when it came on framing Anvesha's daily schedule and often times I have stressed out when her nap time would move here and there Anvesha is 17 months old now !!!!! They grow so fast....  Although there is no such thing as a typical schedule for any child.... but this is how her day roughly looks like :

Wake up 7.30-8 AM... usually is in a playful mood earlier in the morning
Breakfast is usually an hour after she wakes up, mostly  9- 9.30 AM

I dress her up for the day and we play around a bit. If the weather is good I take her out for a stroller ride around the neighborhood.

11 AM- Snack time

I drop her off at the day care at noon where she spends the next four hours.

Lunch at 1 at the daycare. She gets tired by that time and gets her siesta. She is down to just one nap in the afternoon now. 

3 PM - snack time

I pick her up at 4 PM and we head straight to the park and she plays there for an hour or so. In between I offer her some light snack to munch on.

7 PM- bath time. We have changed her bath timings for summers. She loves playing with water and splashes water all over. 

Dinner is at 7.30 PM

By 9.30 she is off to bed into her own dreamland !!!!

There is always room for deviations ofcourse, like vacations or flu. We do try to mix things up sometimes, especially on weekends so that she learns flexibility and tolerance.

Father's Day Messages

" Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad !!!"- Ann Geddes

Its Father's Day !!!! and I wanted to pass on few messages.... I am not very expressive when it comes to speaking out my inner feelings, so I thought it would be best to jot down my feelings and document them in my post :)

My dear loving hubby,
You are so much more than just a husband. You are the 'father' to our lovely daughter.Your love as a father shows through your interaction with Anvesha. You are a fabulous father, a great husband and we love you for who you are. There's another amazing side of you that only shows when you are with Anvesha. As difficult as it's been sometimes, I know I couldn't do it without your support.Thank you for being such a fantabulous father !!!!! 

And here's one from your darling princess.....

Dear Papa,
Happy Father's Day !!!! You are the world's coolest dad. You give me ice cream to eat, and you also give me chocolates without telling Mamma...... Our secrets remain with us.....I love it when you come home from office and I come running to you. You are a great storyteller. I want to dedicate this special song to you today.
Love you lotssss... Aanu

For me, father's day will be incomplete without these messages......

Respected Daddy,

Its Father's Day and I want you to know that the past four years with you have been truly knowledgeable. When I came into this family you ensured I feel comfortable and loved. Though I wasn't the religious type earlier, but being with you taught me many  things that I will cherish forever. Thanks for being such a great teacher.

Dear Papa,

Our relation is 32 years old and though I haven't been very vocal, I want you to know that you are an amazing father. Even though we've had many disagreements you are still  someone I look upto in my life. Thank you for working so hard to give me the best education possible. No matter how old I get, I will always be your little girl.

Happy Father's Day !!!!

Berry Berry Sweet !!

Strawberries are in season and this also marks the onset of summers... Yayyy !!!! They are in fact sweet little nuggets of summer goodness. What better way of celebrating summer than go berry picking :) Strawberries being Anvesha's favorite, so we decided to pick strawberries out of all berries :) Last year around this time Anvesha was about 5 months old and we decided to wait for another year so that she can enjoy this country side experience.

There are plenty of "U Pick Farms" in Seattle. We decided to go to the Remlingar Farms this Sunday . It was a warm sunny day and we put in lots of sunscreen to avoid any sun tan. Anvesha was still sleepy as we pulled her out of her car seat. As we entered the strawberry fields, she was more than delighted to run around and squealed in delight on seeing strawberries.  At first the strawberries barely reached the basket as they went directly into Anvesha's mouth :) A curious child as she has always been, she was watching us pick the strawberries and put them in the basket. Few minutes later she decided to give us a helping hand. She would pluck the berries, throw them into the basket and clap her hands on her accomplishment !!!! She had tons of fun playing with mud too. For the next couple of days, its gonna be strawberries on the menu.... smoothies, snack items, strawberry pancakes.... or maybe some homemade  strawberry jam......who knows ????

It was an altogether different experience for her and I am sure by the age of 4 or 5, she would enjoy it all the more. It's also a great way to expose kids to the country side. Living in the city we often forget how much sweat goes in producing the fruits and veggies that we so easily buy from our local grocery store. But as of now none of this will make sense to her :) All that she can see is these red dew drops hanging in the fields !!!!

After picking around 5 Lbs of strawberries,we headed straight to the fun park. Anvesha enjoyed the train ride, pony ride, the mini giant wheel and we enjoyed having fun with her. By the end of the day all three of us were exhausted. It was a fun filled Sunday. What a way to start the summer !!!!