Birthdays and Big Boys

Time waits for no man ... 

You only have to look at two energetic boys to know the truth in that.

As Kochunni turned 7 a few weeks back we noticed changes in our once little baby that previously escaped our attention. Two of his teeth have started to move and he is super exited about the 'Tooth Fairy' visit. He is taller and asking questions and answering questions that show his complex thought process. He was probably already taller and already asking questions but it was his birthday event that made us realize that our life with him began just 7 years ago and in this short span of time (when compared to our 30+ years in this world) he has become so intertwined that we hardly notice the little changes. Gone are the days when his "Firsts" made big news at home or on this blog, but all the same, they seem to occur ever so often.

Kunju on the other hand, is called the baby and probably will remain the baby of the house and yet he insits every time that he is now a big boy. We laugh at it, but in our hearts we know it is true. He is definitely taller than what Kochu was at his age; talking more than what Kochu did and yet has a little babyish charm that makes us forget that years are passing by.

A William Henry Davies poem that I had learned such a long time ago somehow seems to haunts me today -

...A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Different but same same

I had always known that the boys will have their own personalities, same likes and lots of in-between. But it is interesting to see how similarly different they are at times and how differently similar they are at times.

On the one end is the sameness, both want to be first to get into the car, to get off from the car, to run to the bath or whatever else it might be. They love to dance and sing to bollywood dance numbers from Chamak Challo to Bol Bachchan.  Boys will be boys and their fascination with 'poop' and singing nonsense is uncannily similar that it is often hard to disearn who started it this time.



In the middle of the spectrum is the imitation/flattery angle. Here is the little one trying to imitate his big brother on the bike. At 2 he already mastered the little bike. Kunju wants to do, and learn anything the older one does. At the playground, he has no fear of the big slides or monkey bars and if we try to slow him down, he looks at us like we must be out of our minds to even suggest it!

Where Kochunni was all into cars from the time he was 6-7 month old and collected so many cars, Kunju was never very fond of them. Of course since he grew up around the said cars that he probably was not in awe of any of them.It's the same with everything be it food or toys. Older one wants chappati, little one wants rice, though both like to munch off Amma's plate whatever that might be!

I am sure as they grow they are going to be poles apart and yet I hope that the bonds they share today will help them stay close and in contact forever.

Tidbits

Kunju started to go to Kochunni's old daycare this past week. In preparation, the weekend before I was asking him his name in English to ensure he will not have any trouble at school. Without battling an eye, he responds "Kunju and Baby". Yes of course, he is the baby of the household and we often refer to him as that and apparently he has taken it to heart!


A few months ago Kochu was inspired to write some poems, it started out as wanting to rhyme and then realizing that he was able to write a few lines he was not only impressed but also super exited to send the poems off to his aunt who is pretty good at these kind of stuff. Yesterday evening he came up with another one that I thought was rather cute --

Trick or treat, trick or treat

Give me something sweet to eat

Cookies, chocolates, jelly beans

Happy, happy Halloween

Trick or treat, trick or treat

I can sing and dance to beat

That’s the trick to make you smile
Happy, happy Halloween

I have no idea why Halloween was the chosen theme of the day, but as long as he is trying something new, I guess it doesn't matter.

The Big One

Happy Birthday, my baby.
Happy Birthday!! Happy Birthday, Kunju.


Today was a double whammy celebration at our house, with Vishu falling again on the 15th of April and our little baby turning one, and yes we had a blast.

We set up the Vishukani the previous night and also talked about it to Kochu so that when we would wake him up early morning he will not be upset. As expected, the appealing factor to him was about hearing about "vishukaineetum".

Early morning, Amma set up the diyas and woke the rest of us. After we saw the beautiful kani, I woke up Kochu and holding my hands over his eyes brought him over to see the beautiful sight. An hour later Kunju woke up and we brought him to see the beautiful array of things. He seemed to be intrigued with all the items and kept pointing out to things. He received Vishukaineetum from him Ammamma in form of a gold chain and I continued the tradition of silver coins for the boys. With all the family around, Kochu also made $30 that he been asking to buy chocolate with. (I have kept the money away telling him that we will buy soccer cleats instead, lets hope he will agree at the time of actual shopping).

Post breakfast and bath, everyone got to wear the new clothes and the ladies started to prepare the sadya. We made the usual suspects with avial, moru curry, payasam, papadam, ingi thaiyer. Since it was Kunju's birthday we also ordered a small cake at the local shop. By evening both the boys were on sugar high and Kunju seemed to be in seventh heaven having tasted most of the treats for the first time. He also received a little musical toy to which he kept dancing. In the evening we made a trip to the temple and had a good meal together as a family once more. By the end, everyone was tired and ready to hit the bed by 10.

Looking back at the day, the day was indeed is a great day. Somehow having family around and just knowing its a special day puts a smile on everyone. The big party with friends is not until next week and my party planning will be in full swing next week.

As the celebrations continue, here's to you my little one. Hope, Wish and Pray for many more wonderful days.

Off we went

Just got back from a 3 week trip to India – specifically Bangalore and what a time it was. To start off I was traveling for the first time with two kids. I knew going in it would be one hell of a 24 hours but all I could think of was seeing family and friends after a gap of almost two years that I was without worry. As it turned out the forward journey went off without too many hassles. I got a bassinet seat row, so there was enough space for the little one to move about; and with many Disney movies on the flight Kochu was entertained and his day was made with watching 3-4 movies in a span of 18 hours.

Once in Bangalore, Kochu had the best time by going to every shop with his Muthu on the scooter. Every time Muthu stepped out to run to the local shop he would want to join him and insist on taking the scooter even if the shop was within walking distance. Another highlight of the trip was watching TV – cartoons like Chota Bheem, Krishna and Balram ran non-stop continuously. He enjoyed their adventures so much that he now considers himself Balram, and the baby Krishna. He was in seventh heaven when I found a small plastic "gadha" that he now brandishes around.

Unfortunately all wasn’t peachy with jet lag the first week and then Kunju’s fever during the middle of the vacation. He really scared us by getting a 103 degree fever. The bigger issue was trying to find a doctor at short notice. We had to call our neighbors and cousins who had young kids to see who their paediatrician was, find out if the doctor practiced close to where we live so that we could get their quickly (Bangalore traffic is horrendous). After some frantic couple of hours we found a doctor and met with him. It turns out he had a virus infection and with 2 days of medication he was much better; though he seemed to have lost his appetite all-together. This was a real damper as by the end of the trip the little one lost at least a couple of pounds and looked pretty weak though he was still active and vibrant self.

For a change this vacation was unlike my previous trips to India in respect of traveling back and forth within India. We stayed at my mom’s house and to me it was truly a vacation with complete rest and a few shopping days thrown in for retail therapy. My best friend from college came down from Mumbai and we had a great 2 days of bonding and laughter. Even Kochu warmed up to her so quickly that it seemed he had known her all along and I was the outsider! After a long time or sorts, we even did a small Bangalore tour for my friends benefit and it was nice to see Lalbaug and other prominent places as an adult. The traffic and the congestion of Bangalore was quite apparent and like my friend I missed the convenience of Mumbai trains.

The highlight of the trip was just being away from the daily grind and spending a much needed time with the company of the two boys. It seems every time I stop and look at them, I realize how much they have grown and continue to.

Its different

It's around 1 AM and I am wide awake typing up this little thought into my iPhone.

These days being awake for feedings are easier and far more interesting; catching up on news, checking updates from friends on Facebook and of course reading up on blogs has becoming a customary outing at night. Four years ago with Kochu the nightly feedings in comparison was much more mundane, almost archaic in comparison.

It's amazing how things have changed in four years. In comparison, so much more would have been different when my mother gave birth to me. No baby monitors, no fancy musical swings, no car seats!

Can you imagine how much more it would change by the time our kids become parents?

*Image courtesy via Google Search

The ties of brotherhood ....

Before Kunju was born I wrote a post about changing family dynamics, about foreseeable fights between siblings. Of course family dynamics have changed - there is a toddler and a baby in the house, which means their needs, their choices are vastly different from each other. But for now the the famous siblings fights are far away. (kala tikka)

Kochu loves his brother - his baby. He helps me when its time for a diaper change, by setting up the table with a new diaper, wipes and butt rash creams. If the baby is crying he tries to sing to the baby and then like a boy that he is, and then runs away cringing his nose if the baby has pooped, yelling YUCK!

Sometimes he talks to the baby, telling him about his day at the daycare and gives strict instructions on not trying to suck his hand and to be a "good" baby. The baby for his part listens avidly and sometimes even responds with a 'ooh' or a 'ah', which in turn makes Kochu super excited. When the baby is lying down with his face away from him, Kochunni insists on one of us turning his head around to ensure that he can always see him.

Yesterday evening one such thing happened that makes this whole parenting gig a wonderful expedition. Being memorial day weekend, we made a trip to Lake Berryessa and Sacramento. We got home quite late in the evening and it seemed like the baby had a temperature. So when we got home, the first thing I did was to check his temp. Now being poked with the little thermometer was not something he liked and he started to cry almost immediately. Kochunni on the other hand ran to his toy chest and picked out his cars and started to play, while rest of the family was getting things from the car and quickly freshening up. After I checked the temperature, I tried to soothe the little guy but nothing was really working. He would stop crying for a bit and then cry again when I would put him down.

After a couple of tries, I put him down and went to get some water in the kitchen. Suddenly I heard the wail again, and I tried to talk to the baby from the kitchen, without going to him and continuing to check the fridge to figure out dinner. A second latter I hear Kochunni talking to the little guy " Endena kariyune? (Why are you crying?) Thermometer eshtaalla? (Don't like the thermometer?) Pani endo nokande. (Have to check fever, right). I put my head out of the kitchen to find Kochunni with his face very close to the baby, while the baby looking into his brothers eyes, as if seeing him for the first time, cries long forgotten.

Of course, Kochu has seen us talking to the baby, of course he himself has done the same thing many times before, but the simple gesture of stopping his own game and doing something without being asked or even told to quieten his little brother's cries was without doubt his own intrinsic nature - the unseen ties of brotherhood taking effect!