On your 2nd Birthday !!!

People always say how time goes by so quickly with children. They remind us, as parents to savor the moments. I have found that while this is true, it doesn't help slow the time down.

Welcome to the world !!! 

So here we are... age 2... and I am having a hard time emotionally letting go of this first year because you are supposed to be my baby girl. I can hardly believe you turn two today! And rest assured I will be saying this for every birthday you have for the rest of your life, so you might have to get used it ;) I love witnessing your little life. I love how our relationship has changed and I love seeing my love for you reciprocated with your words and actions versus cries for being nursed or simply a diaper change. Its an incredible gift.

                                

First Birthday Party 

You entered age 1 walking and you are finishing it in a full run. You are moving through life at rocket speed. This last year it has been such fun to watch you grow into your personality.You are fearless,fiercely independent, thoroughly impish and full of happiness and sunshine. My most precious moments are your hugs: when you rest your head on my stomach before bedtime and when you share your meals with your teddy, your elphy, your frog....the list goes on and on.... Its in these small gestures I know that you are tender and gentle and I can't wait to see that part of you grow.

                                             Terrific Two !!!

You know what you want and will demand it until you get it even if it takes a bit of foot stomping or whining. You don't always win though... sometimes I get to be the mom !!! You are a girly girl who loves dressing up, loves to pose in front of the camera and loves to sleep with her teddy ;) I hope I can always guide you in the right direction.. I hope I allow you enough freedom to be able to make your own decisions.

Happy 2nd birthday sweetheart !!! God bless you my little angel :)

Catching Up

As I begin this post, I realize that I am nearly two months behind and it's killing me !!! I wanted to catch up so bad, but life seems to get in the way. Today is a perfect day to blog as I am home alone,its raining and windy outside and Iam sipping my hot tea. So here I am - after a long gap, sitting in front of my laptop on a cold winter afternoon wondering where to start from. Lets just go back to the month of October........

October marks the onset of fall and also the month of a lot of Indian festivals including Diwali. This was our first Diwali in India after my marriage. North India and particularly Delhi is known for its grand celebrations and extravagant weddings. Delhi looked beautiful with the Diwali lights, diyas and rangolis. Anvesha was still jet-lagged that time and used to sleep most of the afternoons, That way she enjoyed celebrating Diwali in the evening and looked thrilled to see phooljhadi and anar. I try my best to keep her away from sweets, but since it was Diwali time, I let her enjoy the yummy motichoor laddoos from Halidram's :) She was the center of attraction at home. Daada- Daadi and both the buas pampered her a lot and she enjoyed all the attention she got from everybody.

Our visit this time was an eventful one. Smriti's wedding was just around the corner and there was a lot of shopping and some last minute running errands. The month of November was a very busy one.There was a lot happening and Anvesha who is so much used to having our undivided attention suddenly felt ignored. She did enjoy the functions though,but the loud music and the crowd was a bit overwhelming for her.  I had, in my mind, prepared a list of what Anvesha will be wearing for each function. Here's the bride to be with her bhatiji on the night of the sangeet...

And these are some more from the wedding....

After the wedding celebrations, I was really looking forward to meeting my parents. It was a very short stay with them this time and Anvesha enjoyed running around in the open space. She loved plucking leaves from my mom's kitchen garden and was thrilled to see the pumpkins.

Over the time I have observed that she is a very social girl- very confident and affectionate as well... and I am not saying this because she is my girl...... I genuinely mean it :) She has learnt a lot of new words now including Mamma and Papa !!!! Lets just hope she keeps adding more and more to her vocabulary and become a chatter box soon :)

"Mamma" !!!!!

 I have reached a new high as a mom. My girl, my sweet little girl, unmistakably said my name !!!! Never knew "Mamma" would sound so sweet, especially after hearing Anvesha say it. She used to say "ma-ma-ma-ma" quite often in the past. Though it may sound fun, but this was just another word to add in her growing vocabulary along with "ba-ba-ba", "da-da-da" and lots of other baby chitter chatter. I figured it would be a while before she says "Mamma" with any level of comprehension.

In the past couple of weeks, she'd been saying "Mamma" while pointing at me, as if she knew :) Still hesitating in my heart to believe it, I chose to ignore it at first. But then she said it again, and again and hugged me tight.  My heart was melting in puddles all over the floor and my eyes were filling in 32 yrs worth of Mamma in waiting tears. It sure is a magical moment which can only be experienced. I never thought my name would sound so sweet. I like it- I really really like it !!!!

This is one of my most precious mommyhood moments. Love you baby !!!!

Children's Day !!

 The best thing to spend on your children is your time !!!

Happy Children's Day !!!


Children are innocent, children are mischievous. They bring a smile to everybody's face and are the most treasured possessions on this earth. Today is children's day in India and although we as parents are too big for that, we can certainly enjoy it with our sweetheart. Its as though we are reliving our childhood watching Anvesha grow each and every single day. So on this children's day, here's a special note to my honey bunch...

Hello cutie pie,

A very happy children's day to you. This is your second children's day and in the last year you have grown in so many ways. You have blossomed into this beautiful little girl- full of laughter and personality. We have explored so many new places together- different parks, play areas, kids activity sessions... so on and so forth. These are places I would have never gone alone, but now I have you- my buddy :) Its so much fun having you and life comes to a still when you are not around. My heart melts to see how you try to help me in my daily chores like laundry, doing the dishes, etc- its perhaps your way of being involved. You give you hippo kisses and try to share your meals with him. Mr Hippo constantly gets your attention. There is nothing sweeter than seeing your concern and attention for something that means so much to you. Its so refreshing to see you in full energy every morning and I love to watch you dance on your favorite rhymes :) You have grown even more naughty now and lets just hope that your tricks remain rather harmless.

Here's wishing you a very happy children's day sweetheart, This song is especially for you.

Love you heaps !!!

Mamma

Fall has arrived

 It had been warmer than usual but it looks like its all changing now. Leaves are changing colors from vibrant reds and oranges to brilliant golds and yellows and there's something about the air- its clean and refreshing and the days are getting shorter. I can feel a cool gush of air on my face as I take a brisk walk outside. Its time to take out the sweaters and jackets out from the closet.... fall has arrived !!!.

Having brought up in a cold hill station of Shimla in India, I hate winters. Its not at all exciting to be confined indoors for months without sun. Fall is the only time which appeals to me and that's because of the fall colors. Right now one song that comes to my mind is... "All the leaves are falling down, orange yellow red and brown....." Anvesha loves to collect leaves and since the streets are full of yellow, orange, red leaves her both hands are full of these lovely maple beauties. She is totally intrigued to see how leaves have changed color from green to yellow. 

The onset of fall also means deserted parks, windy - rainy days and runny noses. We have Anvesha up to date with her flu vaccines as prevention is better than cure. We are all set for our India trip and when we will come back from our vacation, the trees will have a barren look and days will be even more shorter. Anvesha will miss the Halloween this year and I will miss dressing her up in the cutest Halloween costume. But on the positive side, this will be the first time we will celebrate Diwali with family. So there's gonna be lots of crackers, Diwali mithai, and of course the wedding..... but more on that later :)

Till then happy Fall and a very happy Halloween !!!!

Fun in the Sand !!!

One of the fondest memories that I have of my childhood is playing with the mud and building sand castles. I would love to spend the days at the beach, but that's not always possible. Children have been intrigued by sand for so many generations. They love to play with the outdoor material found around them and this includes mud and sand.

Anvesha loves to play with sand too and derives some fun  by digging, sifting, pouring and exploring it all throughout. Just like playing in water, playing in sand is very entertaining for her. Though she is too young to use her imagination to build castles, or anything like that, but she, nevertheless uses her pail and shovel to pour sand all over her :) Its also a great exercise for the upper body.

Whenever I take her out to Grass Lawn Park, she is drawn towards the sand pit and plays there endlessly. I really don't mind if she gets all dirty there.Its so much fun to watch her play with other children in the sand pit. This involves a lot more than just playing in sand, It involves sharing the sand tools, negotiating for play space- thus enhancing the social skills of children.

Here are few pics of Anvesha enjoying in the sand

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins are out for picking !!!!!

Fall- to many of us is the best time of the year and one key ingredient to a picture perfect autumn is visiting a pumpkin farm. Its not just about picking out a pumpkin- its about winding your way through a corn maze and taking pics of the kids on a hay stack and admist those lovely yellow pumpkins. These are attractions built specifically for families. You can take the kids for a country side experience, buy them a treat and burn a couple of hours off of the day.

I have been teaching Anvesha about fruits and vegetables and there is a rhyme on pumpkin that she likes these days- "Peter- Peter pumpkin eater". So this year when we went to visit the pumpkin farm she could relate more to what she was seeing around her. She tried to lift pumpkins, ran around, sat on pumpkins, studied the dirt, the leaves, the bugs, the pumpkins and everything else she could see.

Picking out pumpkin isn't just about buying it and carving it- its about exploring and learning about the world around you, seeing how things work and how they grow. Its also about creating wonderful memories with your children that you can cherish for life.

Here's a pic of our art work for Halloween this year.