Misspent youth...

I am running out of things to write about... well thats not really true.. I just came up with half a dozen topics in the past half hour... yeah I am bored... DH is working and Nantu is asleep... and I am a crazy person who cant sleep till the house is dark and quiet. So I decide to blog.
I came here, read some blogs and sat down to write something. In the past half hour I came up with a half a dozen topics I dont want to write about just now. Hip Grandma... I could never do that tag you took up, now you know why!
Anyway, as I was browsing blogs, I came across yet another writer's challenge - The Sunday Scribblings.
Scribblings?? Sounds familiar I said... So here is mine for this week - on Misspent Youth.
These two words brought to mind this real story...

I went to school with a boy who was also a very distant relative. This boy was a year older to me. So when I was in 11 grade, he was in his 12th. He was a relatively quiet and studious boy who kept to his books. He had a very nice and loving family. The day of the 12th results and his number did not appear in the papers... He went home and his mom having seen this tells him "Dont worry, its probably a mistake let us see the mark sheets tomorrow and decide what to do!". His grandmom told him " Vaa paa, adhaye nanachindu irukadha sapda vaa " (come, dont keep thinking about that, come and eat).
The boy does not respond.. that evening they found him hanging from the fan in his room!! Needless to say everyone was shocked!
My aunt went to the funeral. The mother told her "Oh I dint know my son was such a coward. Maybe he dint deserve to live after all".
This episode made a very deep impact in my mind.. I have always thought of that boy time and again since.
A few years back I was working in Phoenix Az and a collegue came to me very upset. She had an article from the papers with her.
She asked me "Preethi is it true that this time of the year is the time results come out in India? And that many kids commit suicide because of pressure of performing from parents and peers?"
I thought of this boy again.. and I had no response for her but to say "Yes it is true, sad but true!"
Misspent youth for you.

Letter

I recently discovered Writers Island.. it sounds like good fun.

The prompt from Writers Island this week is Letter... Decided to give it a try...

At the mention of "Letter" a numerous things flit through my mind..

1. Letters from pen pals in school... I had a couple of pen pals (a friend and a cousin). We would write each other every week...and try our hand at humour in the back of the envelope!!!

2. Letters a friend and I would write to each other. We went to school together... but wrote to each other.. poetry, letters etc. We also wrote anonymous poetry to all our friends.. which ofcourse wasnt so anonymous after all!!

3. Letters from my grand dad .. He is 96 and stilll writes long illegible letters .. filled with advice, blessings and love. Letters from grand mom in the last leaf of the aerogramme... trying to fit everything in the small space thatha gave her!!

4. Opening my mailbox every morning in eager anticipation for emails from DH .. when we lived in different parts of the world. Later similarly eagerly anticipating emails from mom every morning.

5. Chain mails among friends at work.. the same chain would go on for days together and was always good fun!!

6. An email from a certain somebody (who will remain unnamed for my safety).. which always contain the subject line "Letter"

7. Resignation letter at my first job.. I was sooo proud of landing a job with one of the leading companies that I wrote an arrogant letter of resignation.. and presented it equally arrogantly.

8. The soap "Friends" where Joey writes a letter to the adoption commitee as a reference for Monica and Chandler.

9. And finally the best of all - some Nantu-ism

Me: Nantu do you want to write a letter?

Nantu: Yes. Can I write in my laptop.

Me(Excited): Yes who would you write to? God? Santa

Nantu: Santa

Me: What would you write ? Dear Santa...

Nantu: No he is just Santa... I will write the letter L

Me: What? Why L Nantu?

Nantu: Summa (Just like that), letter L is very good

Yes I do think letter L is very good dont you?? Children do put our thoughts in perspective ... Whats your favourite letter??

ThanksGiving

Every thanksgiving we have a tradition... we take a vacation! This time around DH was feeling stressed out from work so wanted to give it a miss. I humoured him... no vacation we will spend 4 days at home and plan a simple outing for each day!!

Thanksgiving morning dawned with a sink full of dishes and a long faced me... I was upset that we hadn't taken that vacation!! (I do have a mean streak!!) DH dragged himself out of bed and to the PC. I sat Nantu down and told him about thanksgiving. So what are you thankful for I asked..

Nantu:Mommy what happens to the turkey.

Me: Oh nothing at all.. the turkey ran away din't you know?

Nantu:Where?

Me: To the forest I think... lets forget about that... what are you thankful for?

Blank...

Me: Nantu are you thankful you have wonderful parents

Nantu (Hugging me): Yes Mommy I love you!

Me: Nantu are you thankful you have a room full of toys

Nantu: Mommy can I have a rocking horse please!!

Well atleast I tried!! So we started a new tradition. Nantu thanked GOD for all the wonderful things he had (which he couldn't fathome ofcourse).

Meanwhile DH was browsing the net to plan a day trip for us.. and I was dilly dallying getting to the dishes.. It was 10: 30 AM by then. So DH says, lets stop all the research and just hit the mall... yeah we are a bunch of naive people who din't know shops are closed on thanksgiving... duh!!!

So we hit the Cherry Creek Mall. We saw all the closed shops and I bemoaned... Oh my GOD how are we going to get lunch??? See how my brain works??

Nantu insisted to be let out of his stroller.. and started running around and having fun... so much space and no crowds?? Thats more fun than shopping right??!!

This mall has a lovely play area... where Nantu had a ball... there were a few other families who had turned up like us.. It was fun to watch all the kids. So who said going to a closed mall is not fun?

Unfortunately.. our tummies started gumbling at about 1 PM... ding dong!! We scoured the entire town and finally found a good old Indian place which we dont really like was the only open resturant in town.. By the time we reached there the kitchen was closed!! But we cheerfully ate all the left overs!!

The plan was to make a nice western dinner in honour of thanksgiving.. Well Mac and cheese is western enough right??

Black Friday....

The plan was to get up at 5 in the morning.. 3:30 at night.. DH is still not asleep.. so I switched off the alarm and said "Lets think about shopping when we get up". We got out of bed and to the store by 9 AM.. and got some amazingly good deals (for going out that late)... It was bad weather though.. and snowed throughout the day..

I let Nantu romp about till later than his usual bedtime (8 PM!!) and tucked him into bed.. He developed a high fever in the middle of the night... I think it was all the running around yday to the stores in bad weather.. Bad momma. Also, we are having the stay in bed struggle (a post on that soon) ... so it was past midnight by the time we realized that he had fever and I was feeling very guilty!!

So today's outing...After Hours Doctor Clinic...

We were supposed to visit Santa today... I guess Santa will just have to wait another week....

Tagged!! Yes Again!!!!

I have been tagged.. yes again!!!! (Is it the season for tagging??) This time thanks to Fuzzy Logic who has done a brilliant job with this! These are questions supposedly asked by guys to better understand girls.. like they would do that!!!!
Anyway.. here goes.
1. How do you feel after a one night stand?
I hate Wrestling (Before you gt the wrong idea.... One Night Stand is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Dont believe me? See this http://www.wwe.com/shows/onenightstand/)
2. Do you ever get used to wearing a thong?
Yeah, and I love them especially this one!!
3. Does it hurt?
What.. wearing a thong?? Not unless they are the wrong size.
4. Do you know when you are acting crazy?
Yes all the time
5. Does size really matter?
Ofcourse it does... whats with you.. See 3
6. When the bill comes are you still a feminist?
Never.... I am the one without the wallet!!
7. Why do you take so long to get ready?
Says who... You never give us fair warning!! Btw you think we can get it all done fast?? Think again...
8. Do you watch porn, too?
Why would I??
9. Will something from Tiffany’s solve everything?
How big is it?
10. Are guys as big of a mystery to you as you are to us?
Ofcourse not... They are all the same!!!
11. Why do you sometimes think you look fat?
Its a never ending race to be the thinnest of the lot...
12. Why are you always late?
Its called being fashionably late... I like to make an "Entrance"
13. Does it bother you when we scratch?
Yes! eeew.... stop that!!
14. Do you wish you could pee standing up?
Yeah ... every time I take a road trip!!
15. Why do so many women cut their hair short as soon as they get married?
Wouldnt know.. have always had it kinda short...
16. How often do you think about sex?
Not as often as you
17. What do you think of women who sleep with guys on the first date?
What no playing hard to get...
18. Would you?
Haha!!!!! Not my type!!
19. Do you realize every guy wants a girl just like his mom?
Eeew.. I hope not "Every" guy!!!
20. Why does every woman think she can change him?
I wont try to change you.. if you dont try to change me!!
21. Does it matter what car I drive?
Yeah .. the flashier and the more expensive .. the better!! But dont talk to me about the specifications... Yawn!!
22. Do you ever fart?
Like I will say that in public!!

Again... not tagging anyone.. Whoever wishes to take it up can follow suit...
Well on second thoughts.. Vidhya and Suma... trying giving it a shot!!

Curiosity Kills!!!! - An Interesting Meme

Suma of the Thinking Aloud fame put me up to this... It sounded interesting .. and now that I have done 2 tags already,.. decided to attempt this one

1)Which one person would you choose to understand you better?
I have been thinking about this .... cant seem to come up with a name. Nantu?? Oh well... he better atleast when he gets into his teens right?? But I bet he never will, like I never understood my mom!!

2) What do you think is the best age to be? Why?
22, just out of college, the independence of working... and the ecstacy of staying alone!! That was some of the best times of my life!!!
The now is not too bad too.. never has been.. I also love watching Nantu grow!!

3) Of all the people you know, who would be the easiest to seduce? Why?
DH ofcourse!!! whats more easier than not having to try at all :)

4) What's the best advice you didn't heed?
The list is endless.. I never ever heeded to any advice from my parents.. so lets not delve into this!!!

5) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

This actually reminds me of my dad. When I was in college, I wrote a poem on my dad for the college magazine. I put some pictures there, and one of it was a clock/watch!! Will try and see if I can get hold of the poem somewhere and will try and post it!!

Not tagging anyone.. anyone who wishes to take this up.. please do and leave a link on my comments. Would love to read your thoughts!

Relatively speaking....

Nantu has a new obsession ... Relatives.

And it doesnt suffice to tell him how they are all related to him. He needs to know how they are related to me, to DH and to each other.

For example.. he will tell us who DH's mom is .. who her sister is ... who her mother is and how he,we should refer to them. Also how they should refer to each other!!

He can even list all of my grandmom's children...

I started out being amused!

He would ask me

"Amma how come you have so many cousins,while I have only 2"

"Amma how come you have 4 mama's (maternal uncles) while I have none"

"Amma how come both you and daddy have a sister when I have no sister"

Also when we talked to everyone in India he calls them by the correct mode of address and makes sure he inquires about everyone in the household/ city that he knows of!! He will also try and talk to everyone of these people. Recently on one such occassion he asked DH .." How come Athimber (SIL's husband) doesn't talk to me at all. I need to talk to him." Luckily he was at home and Nantu could talk to his heart's content!

The amusement has now turned to guilt. We live so far away from home that our chidren miss out on having the big extended family that we had!! Also as against our parents we had very few siblings.. now this generation has just one maybe if any!! The family is getting really nuclear... I had hoardes of cousins. Nantu has just 2 who he hardly ever meets. I was lamenting on this to my SIL recently. Nantu is soon going to meet his cousins this summer after almost 2 years.. and he will get to spend 1 maybe 2 weeks with them!! I am feeling guilt ridden again...

Tagged yet again...

The Phoenix has me tagged now. I think she wants me to write my blogging story!! Well here goes...

To my friends I was the obvious person to start a blog. I have bored them too much I think. So every once in a while a friend would ask me if I owned a blog.

At first I was confused.. I know about blob's (non-IT folks please forgive me for this remiss act - this is an object storage type in DBMS) but what was a blog? I turned to google.. and found that this was a whole new thing entirely!!

I chanced upon a travel blog written by a friend who I had long lost contact with. I got very excited and left him a comment "Hey how do I reach you??!". I didn't notice that his entries were old and he was obviously not even writing anymore yet!! Yeah thats how naive I was!!

I will digress here a bit and write about why everyone thought I should own a blog. I had written journals all my life. And loved to write poetry. I wrote poetry on friends, foes, nature, politics everything! My friends loved them , although when I read them now I dont agree!!

About the journal writing.. I wasn't one of those closet journal writers.. I made everyone in my family read my journals.. I was so proud of them. Considering that these were day - to day happenings I dont know Why I wanted my mom, and cousins to read them!! Anyway, once I started working I stopped the journals and took to writing long (dreary) emails!! So my friends decided to spare themselves and tried introducing me to the blogging world!!

A few months back, I found out that my little sister is writing blogs too... and started reading hers... I was also introduced by her to this madness called ORKUT a few months before that!! And I started discovering and reading all my friend's blogs in this process!!

I decided I will blog too... and wrote a few blogs the first month. No response!!

I made DH read these blogs and he agreed that this might be a good thing for me to do!! But still I wrote and no response... so I let it go. Then a couple of months later.. a couple of friends ask me "Why are you not writing anymore". I was encouraged... Atleast a couple of people read this crap!!!

After that its all history like they say!! And now I am hooked on!!

TAGGED!

Sumana has tagged me! Yay!! (for once something about me and not Nantu!! Yay again!!)

Tag Name :Seven Random and / or Weird Things about Me.

Rules : Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Here goes.. you will be the judge of the random/weird classification!
1. Childhood .... I was quite a handful apparently. My mom had to watch her words. She would tell me no going to the road when you play, dont step outside the gate. I scaled walls to reach friend's homes!! She would say, when you see daddy come home, you better get back too.. I would hide at the sight of his car, and pretend I never saw him!! Now its time for nature's sweet revenge!!!
2. Saying No ... I have never learnt the word no. However there are many things I dont want to say Yes to. And I have a bigger problem here... I cant keep my lies straight. I will make convoluted tales and mess up the situation further. Finally its DH I always turn to extricate me out of my mess. Needless to say DH will yell and scream, but give me brilliant ideas!!!
3. Arguments ... I hate arguments to the point of being submissive just to avoid one! However if I do get into one there is no end to it, till I win it. I will argue till I am blue in the face. Needless to say, I won every debate competition is School/College!!! However I have almost never won an argument with my Dad or DH!
4. ADD ... I have selective ADD. I am addicted to reading, be it books, news, blogs what-so-ever. I get so involved in them that I lose track of the outside world!!! My son has to ask me a question 5 times to get it answered!!
5. Hoarding... I hoarde... BOOKS!! A lot of people dont understand this obsessive compulsive habit I have, DH Included. Last time I was in US, I brought a bunch of books with me from India. When we had to return, DH made me give away those books. I lamented for long over that!! This time he forbade me to bring anything at all. I have been here 1.5 yrs now and have accumulated atleast 100 books.... And I claim I will have it all shipped when we move back to India. DH just heaves a big sigh!!!
In college, mom would give me 100 bucks for petrol. I filled petrol for 60 bucks and bought books for the rest 40. This is one habit no one has been able to cure me off!!!
6. Free Spirit ... I hate being told what to do! My mom would worry when groom hunting for me... "Oh God!! I hope the guy doesn't mind a wife who will never ever listen to him!!!". DH is a man after my own heart!! He is a free spirit too, and understands too well what it means to be so pig headed!!! We have both changed over the years and have made some adjustments. But still we hardly ever interfere in each others life!!
7. Blog Writing ... I usually write blogs on the spur. Sometimes I will delete them after writing, because they suck. But no matter what when I sit to write words flow. Sumana gave me this topic to write about, and I have spent the better part of the past couple of days and nights wondering what to write about ME!!!???!!!

Hope this was weird enough??!! Or atleast Interesting enough!
Now my turn... and I tag...

Priya
Gomathi
Vidhya
Veena
Hip Hop Grandmom
Dot Mom
Compassion Unlimited

Mommy-Know-It-All's fall from grace!

When I was a kid... I believed my mom was the encyclopedia... If I read something in a book, I would run to my mom to reconfirm if it was indeed true!! My sister did the same too.. We even took to thinking that daddy din't know a thing... In retrospect I think we thought Dad was illiterate. We would tell him "You dont know daddy, let me ask mom". Then the inevitable happened, we found out there are somethings mom doesnt know.. And then we were the boss. I remember my sister teaching my mom pronounciations ("Its not tortoise it is tortise") when she was in Kindergarden!!! My mom would lament at her fall of status!!!
My SIL went through this in the recent years. She has a 9 year old, who went through the same phases.. She warned me about the falling from grace.
To me it happened sooner than I expected.
My son corrects my english every day today...
Its not "Laughing" its Laughin
Its not "Pitttteerrrrr Patttterrrr" its Pider Pader...
Oh Nantu I dont speak American!!!
And also.. Mommy drive fast, dont drive so slow. Mommy turn on the signal well before you turn left!! Mommy Brakeess!!! (Oh well I am so terrified of driving now I cling to my husband and say.. please go with me!!!)
This holds true for daddy too... Just yday he asked DH
"Daddy the green light is on why dont you just go."
DH: mumbling...
Nantu: Daddy nee expert driver illaya? (Are you not an expert driver?)
Also Nantu will criticize books..
"This is wrong", "This is silly", or "Have you ever seen a red hippo!! How silly"
But there is no word about the teacher..
Sometimes he will say "Miss A says....." and go on to tell us about the wisdom she imparts. He still believes she is always right!
I dub him Nantu-Know-It-All .
What happened to my lil boy who claimed Mommy - You know it all? I miss him!!

Marital Bliss - Overheard!

I am no longer surprised by the american tales of marital bliss.. but this one stumped me.
I was at the local pharmacy.. waiting to get my prescription refill. I overheard this conversation between the pharmacist and her friend.

Friend : How long have you been married
Pharmacist: 4 Years, bbt we have been together for 7
F: Oh thats longer than me I have been married for 5 yrs
P: Yeah right, lets see how long this lasts. We will see if I do stick on...

Felt like sharing this to the blogging world :)

IMAGINATION OVERLOAD

I remember being 6, sitting under the table with my li'l cousin and playing for hours with little wooden and plastic kitchen utensils! A couple of years back, I was browsing through Poompuhar (Handicraft store) and I came across a straw box filled with wooden kitchen gadgets and dishes! I got excited looking at this and got one for Nantu. Nantu ofcourse being true to his nature made a train out of all the dishes and spent hours entertaining himself.

Kids have an over active imagination. They imagine monsters out of shadows, they conjure up friends from their imagination. Their bed turns into a jungle, boat, car, mountain, camp ground and so on. And the imagination is so real... I remember a friend's kid who took it on her head that the living room was a ocean filled with sharks and whales... She would jump across couches and coffee tables, anything to keep from putting her foot on the dangerous ocean bed!!

I have always enjoyed these imaginative plays be it the regular mommy - daddy, house-house games or the endless possibilities a cardboard box offers, or wild imaginative play. It amuses me to watch kids at it. The cardboard box is of course the best. Whats with kids and cardboard boxes. No matter how many toys you fill their room with, there will still be the couple of cardboard boxes they love the best. I remember once when we were moving.... I had shipped all of Nantu's toys, and retained a couple of cardboard boxes. He entertained himself with these for one full week...
I am reminded of the Master Card Ad - which lists the price of many toys and then shows a kid playing with a cardboard box
"Watching them play with a cardboard box instead - priceless. There are some things money can't buy, for everything else there is master card".

Sure enough. The cardboard box turns into a tunnel, fort, train and engine and caboose when lined together, garage what not.. the possibilities are indeed endless! Maybe this christmas Santa should bring Nantu a cardboard box!!!

I read in a parenting book recently about how kids believe so strongly in their imagination. To them the imaginary is very real!!! I can relate to this... I loved to live in my imaginary world when I was a kid!! Getting dreamy eyed again....

Diwali....

DIWALI GREETINGS....

I have been married for a few years now. Through these years I never made an attempt to cook up a storm for any function/ festival . I made the occassional Payasam (Kheer) ... but mostly I rebelled the concept of how every celebration seemed to revolve around food!!

However, a year ago... I changed my mind! Here's why... I had thought my little son was still a baby who was growing up unaware of his surroundings. Sure enough he was in the US but din't speak a word of English. Halloween went by without a fuss! It was Christmas eve, and my husband and I were talking about how the shops were closed because it was christmas tomorrow. My son perked up... and said "Amma, Santa will come tonight and leave a gift by the fire place. It will be there when I get up tomorrow". My husband and I looked at him amazed!! The culprit "BARNEY"!!!!! We ran around town looking for an open shop and found a Rite Aid, where I got him Santa's gift.

The realization dawned on me that while Barney and Elmo were educating my son about christmas and halloween, I was letting him grow unaware of our inherent traditions. I have since made a conscious effort to celebrate every festival in the Indian calendar - major and minor. Nantu has a sweet tooth so he looks forward to this... I would make some sweet - chakara pongal (sweet pongal) mostly this being Nantu's favourite and Vada. We would then Pray to GOD when Nantu would recite all the slokams (Prayers) he knows and then he would eat the sweet!! Needless to say he keeps making up bday's - " Amma today is Balaji umachi's bday, Umachi paavam, make some sweet for him!" (Paavam : SAD? Umachi - GOD).

Diwali was no different... I was reminded of all the festivities we had when we were kids. All the sweets mom and grandmom made... Distributing sweets to neighbours, fireworks, endless tv watching, lakshmi puja and bon fire at my (punjabi) neighbour's place. We had a blast for about a week in all.

I was visited by the guilt trip... Nantu is not having as much fun as I had when I was a kid... So I cooked up a storm ... I made three types of Savouries and 3 sweets - Thengulal, Ribbon Pakoda, Omapodi (Sev), Gulab Jamun, Appam and Manoharam. We regaled Nantu with all the diwali tales and about the fireworks display... He only knows about the July 4th displays ofcourse!! He was very excited about Diwali and insisted on calling everyone in India and wishing them. He even insisted on wearing Sricharanam (Thika) on his forehead. Yay!!

Happy Diwali to all of you

Advent into motherhood.

I was talking to a friend recently about pregnancy and birth... I got to thinking about my journey through it.
All through my pregnancy, I read religiously about the foetus's progress daily... I made it to all the doctor visits, and grilled her with questions about everything related to pregnancy and child birth. She took to telling me what I would read on the internet, and what they do differently in India even before I opened my mouth! I ate veges and fruits and all healthy things. One month when I decided I had developed a craving for icecream (for once my DH let this go unchecked)... my doctor berated me for the weight gain... cravings is a myth she said, if you have intention of getting back to shape after the baby... dont dare touch those icecreams and chocos!!! So I wasnt pampered with having all the midnight cravings satisfied by DH. He kept remiding me of doctor's orders and generally suspecting my intentions (let me set the record straight by saying he was right in doing so... most of the cravings were gimmicks!)
Anyway, I worked till late night almost every day during my pregnancy (part due to nature of work, and partly due to my hard headedness) . I religiously walked though... and when I walked I ran in competition with some of my colleagues... my friend gomz noticing this, took to walking with me just to check my speed. I also climbed up and down 5 floors to my apartment every day! I stayed out late nights on weekends, going to restaurants and having fun (which I thought I could never do after the baby). On the whole I violated every traditional indian rule book.. boy was I crazy!!
Soon it was time to go on maternity leave and still no sign of the baby... Every day the whole world would call and ask me if I was feeling anything.. and was I feeling frustrated, and annoyed with anyone who dared ask. But I used this time to do extensive shopping for the baby... I read books, washed the babies clothes in dettol and waited. A couple of days after due date, still no baby - I dragged my MIL to the dentist. She was horrified at the suggestion, but my reasoning was... the dentist's place was close to the hospital. If I did go into labour I would just go and get admitted. My DH can then join me!
Finally after another frustrating day 4 days after my due date, I started having some pains. Now I had a lot of people around me declaring this was definitely not labour, it dint seem like it either... from the birth preparation classes I had attended. My DH and I had a quiet consultation and decided maybe the baby was just too cozy inside, so time to nudge it out! We figured if we went to the hospital at 11 pm in the night, they aint sending us back!! So we did that, and sure enough they let us stay. The next morning though the chief doctor looked at me and said, "Doesnt look like you are in labour. We will watch you till the afternoon and then send you home"! By this time I was ready to scream! An assistant doctor told me, dont eat a thing only fluids and keep walking, that might speed it up. I walked... and walked and walked... all day! round and round the little room. My husband was really worried for my sanity!! we sent everyone else home sure they would have protested to such ridiculous behaviour!!
But that worked... finally at 4 pm (5 days after my due date) the doctor declared I am ready and wheeled me into the labour room!! I will leave all the gross part out! At 9: 30 Pm (Yes 5 and a half hours later) Nantu decided to make an appearance!! (I should have known right then, stubborn kid!!). I felt nothing but relief. No elation, no motherly feeling, nada! My DH on the other hand felt everything. He was in the labour ward with me and held the baby first (after the doc ofcourse). I was so tired I didn't want to hold the baby right then... bad mommy!! All I wanted was sleep...(ha, was I in for a rude awakening!!!)
In the coming months I did many things which none of the tradionalists approved of. One such thing was letting my baby sleep in a cradle instead of my bed. What? I was so scared I would crush him! Also every time I woke up in the night, DH would be up making sure I was mixing the right amount of formula, The first month in my sleepless state I once poured a bottle of water into the formula can!
Like all things in life, I took pregnancy and child birth too lightly.... in retrospect it was a good thing too! I had a nice kid too, who stopped waking in the middle of the night at 4 months and decided to let us rest!!! Meanwhile I decided to start acting my part and became the world's most perfect mommy (yeah I knew you wouldn't fall for that.. I stumble through!!)

Going to school - the transformation

Nantu started school in the first week of July. It has been four full months.. and my what trasnformation!!

Before we go further on this topic, a bit about Nantu. Nantu was an extrovert and would talk to every single person on the road... till he turned 2. A month or two after he turned 2, he started to exhibit shyness. Neddless to say I was confused! I have always been an extrovert, I found it very hard to relate to a shy kid who suddenly had seperation anxiety, wouldnt talk to adults (strangers or not), would play with kids outside and in his home, but took time unwinding to play in their homes. I decided he needed to go to school.

In April I first visited this private school in my area. Needless to say it was a lot expensive than the other schools here, but I felt this might be good for Nantu given his shyness. I took a tour in April when He spotted some fun toys and asked if we could stay longer! However, we couldnt start him on school till july, due to many reasons. Meanwhile, Nantu grew shy-er... In June a couple visited us and it took us 15 minutes to get him to look at their face even. I was really worried! Ofcourse a half day later, he was yapping away with them like they were his bosom buddies! But still I was really upset about this, and decided "School right away".

I took him to school for the first time in the first week of July. I stayed there for the first half hour, when Nantu played with some toys, and actually befriended another little guy ! However when it was time for me to leave, he started bawling.... and continued to do that till I went back to pick him up. He did this for a month. He would refuse to get ready, bawl all the way to school, when I left him and all through the day. He would refuse to sit and listen to the stories, not play in the playground, he wouldnt eat a single morsel. I was exasperated! But I continued to take him to school every morning (he went only 3 days a week) and pick him up every afternoon. His teachers were really nice about this. They would sometimes take him out of the classroom and let him play on his own - in the school bus, in the director's office. He seemed to like that better! Slowly he stopped crying all day.

He would cry when I left him in school and would still refuse to get up in the morning saying "Its leave today!!". I would worry that my son has such an aversion to school. Ofcourse my friends added fuel to the fire saying that kids usually love school and want to go to school. And tell me about bitter experiences in private schools. Still I kept at it.

Slowly he stopped crying, but would not play with the other kids, and would hang out with the teachers all day. Then he slowly ventured away from the teachers and would play by himself. Next he would play with the kids, but not talk to them at all. He refused to answer their questions. Meanwhile he had started tasting the food too.

Now four months later my son gets up in the morning and is eager to go to school. I hand him his drink and tell him you need to finish that if you want to go to school. He not only plays with the other kids but talks with them nineteen to a dozen and comes home to tell me the tales.

Last Friday, I needed to take him to the doctor in the morning. He kept asking me "Can I go to school after this please?". I took him to school after the visit, he ran in and proceeded to play with his friends without even bidding bye-bye to me. On weekends , tuesdays and thursdays he is in tears "Amma there is school today, I need to go". I breathe a sigh of relief!

He has also started interacting with outsiders more. He still is not an extrovert, but he smiles and nods instead of talking. He will say hello and bye and thank you to all our friends. Thats a first step!!

Four short months.. and what a transformation!! yay!!

Eating Troubles...

We recently visited a chinese restaurant... this place din't have a kiddie menu. We decided dumplings for my li'l munchkins, noodles, plain rice and a side for us! Nantu had a dumpling and another half... out of my hand. This from a boy who says "Mommy I am a big boy, I can eat by myself". We get to a restaurant and he wants to be fed!
Then the dumplings turned "yucky". I said try some plain rice, for some reason he loves that, in its plainest of plain forms. I also served him some of the veges from our side. That pleased him, and he started to eat a bit.
Meanwhile we were done and the waitress brought us the dessert tray. She regaled us with a list of the deserts while showing us the mouth watering li'l cups of dessert. With a heavy heart I refused and so did DH. Nantu speaks up to her directly, not so much as Mommy may I "I will have the chocolate cake please". With a smile, she gets it for him!
All the rice and veges are still on his plate...He moves to take the dessert.
Me: "Finish your veges before you have dessert"
Him: "But mommy I am so full"
Me: "No you are not, you haven't eaten anything"
Him: " Mommy I am ... If my tummy is out it means I am full, if it is in it means I am hungry"
Pulling up his shirt "See, I am full".
The lady in the next table started laughing, a couple of people passing by us stopped to laugh...
I let him eat his cake!
In retrospect I should have said, "If you are full, how come you can eat dessert". But then I am not smart enough !!!