Snowfall

This past Thanksgiving weekend, after much deliberation we rented a house in Lake Tahoe and headed out with some family friends. It was supposed to nice weather and the snow had just started a couple of weeks ago, so the guys were all ready with their ski gear.

We packed enough food for us to have some nice potluck, but as luck would have it we forgot the rice cooker. Luckily the house had a nice big pot for us to make rice the traditional way, while the kids enjoyed some oatmeal to tide off their hunger. We also took some dosa batter, rava for upma and other ready made stuff like soups, chapati and snacks to ensure there was enough nutrition to go around.

We reached the house late night on Thursday, so after a quick dinner everyone hit the sack. The next day was going to be play-date for the kids. We headed out to the resort that offered some kid activities, but on the way it started to snow. Yes, nice fluffy snow. By the time we reached the resort, it was snowing pretty heavily and we had to bundle ourselves in sweaters and jackets and bring out the umbrellas to avoid the direct hit. Luckily the resort had an arcade which allowed us to stay warm indoors. After some pizza, we had to head back home. On the last trip we saw the snow covered mountains and picturesque lake view, and even though that was the first time Kochunni saw snow, this trip yielded us his first ever snow fall. But I have to say it was great to be back at the house all warm and cozy.

When we woke up the next day, the land and rooftops were covered in white blanket of powdery white sugar, the most beautiful sight was our white car - it looked as if someone had covered it in a white blanket. The kids ran up and down the house trying to catch sight of the snow plow trucks that were trying to clean up the roads a little. Since it was supposed to be 'ski' day for the guys and older kids, their first job was to clean off the cars to pull them out of the driveway. After that they headed out. Moms with younger kids decided to stay home and let the kids play a bit in the backyard snow with the fear of driving with snow-chains, which none of us had any experience of.

Luckily the sun was up for most part of the day, which was a boon. Even though it was cold, it melted much of the snow for us to walk around the neighborhood and made it safer for our drive back home the next day.

Seeing the snow fall and having a snow fight was loads of fun, the kids even made a small snowman with the pine cones and snow. But if I ever owned a vacation house I would much prefer it if it were a beach house facing the warm sun and salty seawater. Here I leave you with some wonderful pictures of our fun trip.

Hooked on [blank]

And so it begins … the hooked on (blank) phase!

Two weeks ago we came home with at least 6 toddler books from the library, ranging from colors, trucks, level 1 reading (no he can’t read yet). There was one about Dora and oh boy did he get stuck on that one like a leach. Of course it was about how Dora and Boots worked together to help the ice cream truck that was stuck, which probably fascinated him; but for us it was a torture reading and re-reading the same thing over and over again.

Then there are the shows, it has to be Curious George in the morning (now this one I can at least stand), and evenings dedicated to Bob the builder (no can’t stand the “Yes we can” mantra anymore). I used to think I had a record for watching the same movie 4-5 times, but this little guy has beaten me to the punch. He probably knows the whole 30 minute dialogue like the back of his hand, but he doesn’t get bored … or maybe just maybe he knows it will drive me crazy! Argh!

Kochunni Speak!

Every month, every year passes by and each time I think this is truly the best time to be around this wonderful kid. It was a great ride when Kochunni was still a baby and would gurgle at our antics of peek-a-boo, it was fun zoo at the house when he started to crawl and nothing was off limits, it was beautiful when he christened every member of the family from Muthu to grandpa in his own sweet way and its beautiful today when he talks mile a minute.

One of the best part of the Europe trip was actually spending time with him – when usually all we get are weekend which are cramped with birthdays, house work and a million other things. The trip was total unadulterated time with him and his lively conversation. He talked about the cars, made up stories and best of all gave us directions. Yes! I said directions. It was rather sweet to. He watched us looking constantly at the map trying to determine the way and one day took the map from us and started to peer closely into it and then pointed to the road and explain rather matter of fact way “This way you can see the giraffe, That way you can go and see the elephant.” When we told him that we need to go the way he showed us to see the elephant – he of course wanted to see the giraffe first.

Then there was the time when we bought him a European Volkswagen toy bus – he was super exited and wanted to call home to his Ammamma immediately to let her know that he now has a bigger car than her little brown jeep (a toy that he has given to her when they both play together).

It is super cute (biased opinion, I know) to hear him converse in Malayalam with us and English to his toys. He pretends sometimes to the teacher explaining something to his toys, while at other time he holds up two cars in each hand and pretends that they are having a conversation – usually one is the good car, while the other the bad car that pushes the good car out of the way. The moment we look up at him, he shy’s away sometimes even holding his hand up to his eyes, like the cat who believes no one can see because her own eyes are closed.

So far having family around has helped keep the mother tongue plus other Indian languages alive at home which in turn amazes me. I am not sure how long it will continue but I guess exposure to various cultures, traditions and languages helps his understanding of the uniqueness in each and every human being around us.

Halloween

Halloween turned out to be a full blown party at the house. First comes

• Kochunni and his classmates dance to the Thriller tune at the daycare (the kids even did a little robot dance),
• next comes making cute & scary hand puppets for each member of the family at the local library,
• then comes making our first ever Jack-o-lantern
• and finally trick-o-treating.

Kochunni again donned the “Bob the builder costume” (I figured I could get away with it one more year) and I put on a witches hat and off we went for our trick or treats or as my mom claimed “tendi nadaka” (beg around).

"Trick or treat, smell my feet. Give me something good to eat. If you don't, I won't be sad. I'll just make you wish you had!"

We got a good loot, Kochunni actually admitted that he was tired and wanted to go home towards the end, he even got spooked by a house where the motion activated door connected to a rather spooky ghost tunes. So all in all a good night!

How about yours?

Baby Einstein or not?

The New York Times reported of the major recall of the Disney DVD – Baby Einstein videos which mainly promoted babies to turn around into Nobel prize winners as they watched these shows. Of course there has always been a controversy around showing TV for infants, with most doctors recommending no TV for children under 2 and just moderate activity for toddlers.

No TV until 2 is probably a lot easier rule to implement when you have just one baby in the house. But what if you have 2 kids of varying age or if you have cousins and friends who come over to your house frequently and they are entrenched in High School Musicals and Hannah Montana’s of the world? It’s much easier to comfort ourselves and buy the so-called educational videos to entertain the fussy kid or let them watch a little tele as we feed them greens. Seems like a “a little” trade-off. Well apparently so, as “according to a 2003 study, a third of all American babies from 6 months to 2 years old had at least one “Baby Einstein” video”.

So did each of the parents who bought (gifted/borrowed) such a DVD truly believe that there kids would become instant genius by watching the DVDs – no I don’t think so. Nor do I think that each of the parent who bought a video ended up letting their kids watching TV 24/7. Unfortunately, some trade offs were obviously made. Be it an educational video, a cartoon or a nursery rhyme we all have introduced TV and with it a whole slew of known corrupt products into our child’s life, and there is no going back. You can limit, set rules and possibly add other activities to off-set the idiot box influence but unless you are willing to go back to cave man mode can the genie be put back into the bottle?

I have to admit our no TV initiative of two years is now dead and gone, as Kochunni started watching some you tube songs around 2 years of age and slowly over the last year has extended to half hour TV shows for his meal times – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course when we are traveling or he is at daycare there is no TV and he manages well. Our own TV time has generally reduced to the after hours (when the little guy has gone to bed) and amazingly enough the addiction to mind-numbing programs was very easy to turn off. We don't have a Wii nor play the Playstation these days (who has the time) but he sees us using the computer. My dad was studying for his drivers license online and Kochunni enjoys sitting in his lap watching the pictures of cars and road signs. How much of it all is harmful? That is the million dollar question. At our friends house they have their 6 year old to firmly believe that cable TV only works on Friday and over the weekend. So of course Fridays are a late night, and weekend is full of PBS shows when they are home. How soon will she figure out the 'lie' is anybody's guess.

Am I running around in circle here? Possibly. I am not sure if no TV solves the problem either. Children have a way of finding out. Kochunni says he wants to be Spider-man for Halloween, and I was surprised because he has never seen a video or a cartoon about it. But when I showed him a picture he recognized it. So where does that leave us as a parent?

Seems like I have a lot more questions than answers, but that is parenting, isn't it? So with all said and done, here's my two cents, keep trying folks! Try to maintain that balance of imaginative play and mind-numbing programs. All the best!

PS: So what if you did buy an Einstein video, here’s a way to get a refund. :)

Siena & Pisa

Siena

A quaint little town tucked away on the hills - that was my first impression as I stepped down from the bus. Our hotel was located a few blocks away from the main town square - Il Campo. The city could be a coin toss between - a smokers paradise or a pedestrian heaven.

The air is tainted with smoke every corner you turn becoming the one drawback from a non-smokers perceptive. While the city having limits on car and bus allowed into the main city (downtown) area the locals seem to have built a rather healthy way of life. It even made me wonder how the world would be if most overpopulated cities would have similar regulations - not only giving way to a healthy set of people but giving back to the earth, what we have taken for granted for centuries.

Piazza del Campo (Il Campo) or the town square is a large area for townsfolk to meet and greet - a park in disguise. Today the four corners are streamlined with restaurants though I wonder how it would have been say a 100 years ago. The city being small compared to Rome, it seems natural that the locals know each other rather well. The town square was filled with kids playing ball or running to catch the pigeons, an older generation sitting along the side laughing and talking. It was a rather relaxing part of the trip. We enjoyed the evening hours until it was time to head back and find some food. (But the story of the food would have to wait for another post).

The next day, we went to the Duomo (Cathedral) and the nearby museum. The museum houses some of the famous paintings of Madonna and Child as well as the original stained glass window that was originally housed behind the altar inside the Duomo. The main attractions for us was the climb up to the museum top for a great view of the city. The tiled streets, the two-three story houses laid out below was a great sight. Of course for Kochunni the big attraction was the large cranes (Cranky from Thomas series) that were hard at restoration work.

The Church housed some great paintings inside the Piccolomini Library that were so 3-D like that it felt like we were looking thorough a window rather than into a painting. It also has a rather unknown piece of St Peter by Michelangelo. The floor of the Church is lined by mosaics covering the whole floor of the cathedral. The last but not the least is the amazing sculptures by Bernini - St. Jerome playing the crucifix like a violinist lost in beautiful music, and one of Mary Magdalene immersed in her faith of the Lord.

After afternoon lunch we went back to get some rest (gelato + nap). In the evening we went back to Il Campo and browsed the local boutique shops for souvenirs, bags and local antiques.

Final word: Overall Siena turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. It turned out to be the highlight of the trip - a must see place for any Italy traveler for great food, quaint township, good folks and some high-end shopping.

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Pisa

Out next stop was Pisa - a day trip on our way to Florance. Pisa seems like a city that sprouted to support its famous attraction - the bell tower that leaned. Its noisy, dusty - a stark contrast to Siena.

Of course the main reason for the pit-stop was the famous tower, and the famous sights - the Duomo, Baptistery, and the Leaning Tower - are housed inside the Field Of Miracles. As it turns out, we enjoyed the Baptistery were the structure built gives way to great acoustics. In olden days, the priest could sing haunting harmonies with himself, due to the echoes that are created. Today every 15 minutes the guard sings the chord, in remembrance of the bygone era.

Since you have to be eight years old to climb the tower, Kochunni and I sat by the Duomo while husband took the flight of stairs to see the town of Pisa from above.

Probably, we did not give the full justice to the town of Pisa as we headed back to the train station soon after to head out to Florance.

Final word: Seeing one of the seven wonders of the world is the obvious highlight of this trip. So if you are traveling to Siena or Florance, take the easy day trip via Rail Euro and cross off one, out of the seven wonders!

Rome

Its been a while since I used paper and pen to jot down memories. But being in a town square of Siena where everyone walks & seems to know everyone, this seems a logical choice.

Yes I am in Siena - on a week trip to Italy. Our first stop was Rome - the old town. Rome was what one expected - a city built around the ruins and grandeur of the past. It seems like the bygone generation wanted to stand the test of time by building large scale arenas and churches. The pride that locals justly feel towards these monuments overshadows their capacity for providing help to tourists. It seems the locals have no idea where they are themselves or lack common courtesy. But without this one drawback our first stop on the Italy tour turned out to be lesson in history and art.

The Colosseum even with only 1/4th of what once was, stands as a magnificent piece of architecture. The grandeur having outlived its people, it stands boldly challenging us. Of course this stadium has gone down in history for the cruelty that was instituted via the battles between man and animal, but the enginering skill of the people is unmistakable. The center is laid out with many tunnels that would have been underground for people to do all the backstage activities while the whole stadium could seat thousands of people.

Our next stop was the Pantheon - a wonderfully well-preserved structure that stood the test of time due to the fact that it was consecrated as a church. It also stands as a tomb to Renaissance painter Raphael and other kings of Italy. The square surrounding the Pantheon has a wonderful vibe around it with cafes and shops surrounding the square. It almost feels like a college campus!

As jet lag finally hit us we decided to cut short our tour of Rome. So the next day we took the trip to Vatican city - a sovereign city inside Rome. We decided to see St. Peter's Basilica - one of the largest churches in the world. As I stepped into St. Peter's Basilica, Michaelangelo's Pieta stood out in all its glory. Even though one might have seen the image a million times; seeing the artist's (one) masterpiece especially up close (behind the bullet proof glass, sadly) has a greater effect. The largest church seems like the rightful place for this wonderful work of art.

The building is truly a magnificent piece of art and architecture that holds the tomb of St. Peter - according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome. It also houses the bronze statue of Saint Peter, with a very kissable toe that stands out, Bernini's star burst doe at the center and his bronze canopy.

The dome is a huge, magnificent work and as one looks up to the heaven one can only gasp at the infinite possibilities in life and the little time one is presented with. It made me think of the people who actually were able to live their dream, while the thousands who go unnoticed throughout their lifetime and beyond.


Overall Rome reminded me of an old town, the transportation mainly the buses are well connected and very frequent. Of course, they are crowded and one needs to worry about being pick-pocketed but overall the frequent services helped us. Taxis are expensive, of course locals seems to prefer the two-wheelers over anything else. The people are not the friendliest but I guess tourists forever asking them routes and directions would be distracting to anyone. September was a great time to visit weather-wise though we encountered a little drizzle and ended up buying two umbrellas - one of which broke within two rounds of opening and closing!

Final word: Rome is must for history buffs who can enjoy with the crowds and for those who are not interested in history just think about this as a city that contributed to the world some of the finest pieces of art and architecture . A definite must if you travel to Italy.

The Vacation

Being miles away from home, we traditionally save our holidays for the one big trip home. Of course, with such a trip means traveling miles within a span of weeks. Its an ordeal and a vacation rolled into one. After all meeting your college buddies, getting home made food is fun part of the trip, while planning to meet everyone and yet coming back realizing that we did not get enough time with family turns out to be a sad reality of every trip home.

And so planning a vacation - a true vacation - not meeting friends or family - but traveling - doing the thing that all tourists do was a major undertake at the Kochunni household. So after months of deliberation we decided to take an Europe trip. To be more specific an eight day trip to Italy. The next couple of posts are ones I wrote (yes actually wrote down) while in Italy that I am finally posting online. Why did it such a time to post them back online because oh, hmm, well, with all these years of typing away on a computer - the art of decent handwriting seems to have weathered away (rather sadly) to a state of non-existence! Therefore it took some time and effort to re-read my own handwriting! Anyway, hope you enjoy the ride with me ...

The potty training saga

A long drawn out affair, a 100 page potboiler indeed; mostly tiring, sometimes messy - this is the saga of Kochunni's tryst with the big potty.

Characters
Kochunni
Amma - A harried, busy woman who was having nightmares of her boy being married in diapers.
Achan - A super busy dad
Ms. L - A teacher who was deemed an expert at potty training children
Si-chechi - Kochunni's chechi - adored by one an all
Secondary characters - Ammamma (grandma), Muthu (grandpa), Achaamma (paternal grandma), Ms.Y (the school principal)

Setting
Three year birthday party at Kochunni's school is almost over, the kids are eating cake as the parents discuss Kochunni's bright future.

The story
Ms. Y - I have asked Ms.L to get Kochunni potty trained by the end of the month, he needs to move to the next class. (looking at Kochunni) the class were all your friends are moving to, with computers!
Amma - Wonderful! I have been telling him the same thing. He is pretty good at peeing in the toilet, but that is it.
Ms L interjects - The only way to turn him around is for him to be in underwear. If you are ready to do the same at home, I will to. Just send me enough underwear and pants for accidents.
Amma, visibly overjoyed: Of course, lets do it. When?
Ms L. Tomorrow if you are ready.
Amma, Sure, lets do it.

As Amma and Achan leave with Kochunni they discuss the matter. It seems simple enough. Kochunni meanwhile has no clue of the ordeal he is being pushed into.

The next day Amma packs of 10 set of underwear and pants, she has already prepped Kochunni with talk of being the "big boy". She is naive, hoping that by the end of the week she will have a fully potty trained boy at home.

Day 1: Kochunni plays, learns, colors, has no accidents at school. But he hasn't pooped.
Day 2: Ms L tries again. She promises Kochunni new toys. But no luck.Circumstance comes Kochunni's rescue as Achan had an office picnic to attend. The picnic at the park gave no option, so he put on the diaper. Kochunni seizes his luck and does the job!
Day 3: Repeat Day 1. Ms. L gives suggestions - Prune juice, oranges, he will do it this weekend, she's prophetic.
Day 4: Repeat Day 1. By evening Kochunni is in pain, his tummy is visibly bigger. All he wants to do is lie on the sofa, claiming sheer tiredness. Amma tries to all known tactics - bribe, plead, read books, nothing helps
Day 5: A very similar day except, Si-chechi arrived to save the day. As Kochunni sat at the potty, she promises him the sun and moon (a big truck) to do the big job. Not really sure if it was the promise of the big truck, or it coming from his chechi, or being that he couldn't hold it in any longer out came his stuff. Of course Amma had a promise to keep, so Target shopping was in order. Kochunni got a big truck while his chechi got Pokeman cards.

(Had the tide turned?)

Day 6 - Back at school, Ms. L even gives him a toy for doing his thing over the weekend. But no repeat telecast is in sight to her
Day 7 - Repeat Day 1

A week has gone by, the parents make calls to the grandmas, suggestions were put into place - warm cup of milk first thing in the morning, more prune juices and oranges. Adding more fiber to his food, less cheese, but no change in sight.

Week 2 - was a repeat telecast of week 1, expect Amma wasn't sure of the process any more. Giving up seemed an easier option, but sanity prevailed, especially as her dad pointed out the wasted effort if she gave up now. Amma suddenly had a brilliant idea, she threatened Kochunni of having to go to the doctor for a big ingestion if he did not do his thing. She even pretended to call Achan to ask him to get the appointment. Again, not sure if the threatening did the trick or the 3-day delay, but the job was done.

The next day, Amma tried the same tactic, but to no avail. (By then one thing was certain to for the parents, he would do his thing every 3 to 4 days. On the other hand, Kochunni was understanding his little power too).

Three year doctor visit was at hand. Amma was afraid the doctor would put an end to the process, as many of her colleagues had suggested, putting forth the refrain of "He will do it when he is ready" But the doctor suggested no such thing, she was instead impressed with his progress. She suggested a mild medication to ensure his stools remained soft to ensure that he doesn't have any pain after the 3-4 day delay. Amma was ready to try anything at this point, so she bought it immediately.

Amma started to give the medication just a little with every drink, and slowly Kochunni decided to yield his power. For the past week he has being doing his job every evening, though medication stopped after the first few days. He would of course demand a little chocolate after the said job as his reward. A small price to pay, as is back to his usual self - no more big tummy, no more pain!

(Amma was seeing dancing around in the neighborhood until yesterday evening, when she collapsed from sheer exhaustion)
The End

The three week process has yielded a diaper free zone. Kochunni still sleeps at night with his diaper, but its usually dry in the morning. And as one saga draws to an end, another one is rising in the horizon - the big move to sleeping in his room, ALONE! That's for another day!

*pic courtesy of google images.

The trip to the park

A long time ago, a girl her father and mother would take the bus to go up about 2 miles to reach a little park in the middle of the town. It wasn't huge, rather small that had little trails weaving in an out of grassy patches. All around the park were tall buildings, and the park seemed a little oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle.

Often the father would buy a small pack of roasted peanuts from the street vendor right outside the park and munch on them as the little girl played around. After some time, the family would head back home, walking most of the way home. It would be nice weather the heat having settled down. The parents would talk about pressing matters that were far beyond the little girl. But she enjoyed the walks, sometimes the father buying a little treat - ice cream, bhel puri, ganne ka juice, towards the end of the journey.

This is what a park reminds me of ... the long walks home, the little treats, the window shopping. As I grew up and the traffic in town build its way up, we had to find newer less traveled routes. And within months, those routes would in turn have "developed" into multi-lane roads with cars honking while stuck in a traffic jam, as if honking loudly would magically clear the road.

Unfortunately Mumbai doesn't boast of many parks, we had grounds to play in ... just empty fields that kids captured with their imagination and played cricket, football and catch (wonder if that is fast disappearing as well). But that is the memory of parks that I hold very close to heart.

Today as I take Kochunni to nearby parks, there are no street vendors nearby (sometimes a ice cream truck), just designated playgrounds by age groups and vast open grounds with wonderful trails. We meet new folks, exchange pleasantries, the kids play together for a while, and we come back home. A new memory is being formed, a memory vastly different, but who says they have to be the same. Its still a sweet memory of the good times, a memory that one day is (hopefully) close to Kochunni's heart.

Highlights

It seems ages since I have surfed the blogosphere, no good reasons really – just that work caught up and with the economy where it is, it seemed like a good idea to keep your head down and work away. Plus with an awesome summer days (read hot, very hot), weekend turned into trips with friends to the park, to the railway line, to the beach, to the winery. So to play catch up, here are some highlights from our household

• Our garden is overflowing with oranges and now with apricots. The fruits have now become standard gifts for our friends and neighbors. I even had to try my hand at making apricot jam last weekend to reek in the abundance of fruit this summer.
• We are back to every day walks in the evening like last summer – though this time around Kochunni runs ahead of us pushing the stroller until he is tired and then we need to push him around. It also helped to meet two neighbors, with whom we hope to keep in touch post-summer.
• Finally met with Sraikh of the Asaaan fame and her four adorable kids. Kochunni hit it off well with the kids after he got over his shyness, and by the end he was rolling down the little hill in the park with them. Of course, he had a special place for Ashwina, his Chechi (elder sister) and talked about her all the way back home. Hope we can catch up again before the summer ends.
• Potty training is going in full swing, with Kochunni really doing well with peeing. His teacher has promised that by August end though she will ensure he is off diapers mainly to move to the next class. Though I am not so sure, he seems so stubborn that he who would rather get constipated than take the easy route. Million dollar question - how do kids manage to hold it in for 2 days?!?
  
• When the mood strikes (which on some days is quite often) Kochunni loves to babble words that have absolutely no meaning, though it might make sense in some language so when he sings 'Mary had a little lamb' tune with “Ambli bully ta-ti lam, ta-ti lam” it seems as if he is saying “ta-ta” or when asked for his name by our neighbor he answerd something that sounded like “Tarboose” that to our Telugu neighbors sounded like he was saying watermelon!! Even his teachers are surprised when he starts to sing – “I’m buuli, I’m daari!” they thought he was singing I’m a bully. Hopefully the trend discontinues quickly or I am left explaining things to folks, who continue to think I am joking or making up some story myself!
• We finally made it to the movie theaters after almost 3 years. YES! We went to see the movie Up! on the big screen over a weekend & though Kochunni was excited to see the big screen, sit on the big chair, in the really dark hall, I think he would have loved the experience much more if the movie was Cars. Up, though an awesome movie is not really a kids movie, its really for the kid in us. But nevertheless, he sat through the movie, through the very end.
  

That's about it, I think. Now off I go to play catch up with my blog reads ....

3 Year Old

Today is Kochunni is 3rd birthday. My little guy is no longer a baby – he is a big kid now, reaching almost up to my waist and talking a mile a minute. His eyes still sparkle when he is being mischievous or gets a big treat (read chocolate, he finally figured it out), though temper tantrums are still very much part of him. He knows his numbers and alphabets, shapes and colors. His love of cars is still intact and the collection keeps growing like a weed, that cannot be curtailed. He is a good little helper when the mood strikes, an awesome dancer and suddenly loves to sing loudly in the car like his Amma, especially to songs that rock. If the song is a bit slow, he would explain "idenu dance cheeyaan patilya" (cant dance to this song)

We got a him a Thomas Engine starter kit as his birthday present and his eyes seemed to bug out in anticipation while waiting for the set to be opened and the tracks all laid out. He still went to daycare, though we got their early with McQueen Cake and balloons. He was sitting with all his friends at the table eating their afternoon snack. As we approached he was surprised and seemed taken aback. When the teachers started asking him about his big day, he seemed totally unsure. As I walked up close, I realized that he was on the verge of tears, and the moment I stepped closer he came rubbing his tears away. Yes there were real tears, that surprised us all; not crying like he was in pain, more like tears that he couldn't stop. He kept rubbing his eyes and it seemed he wanted to hide away, but the sight of the little tears made me realize that he is still such a baby. We decided to give him a second, thinking that we probably overwhelmed him, and in a few minutes he was better as we opened the cake and we asked him to settle into a chair.

He gave his Acha a big hug and was super exited to see Lightening McQueen and Mater. With the cake underway everyone sat around the table talking. It was kind of nice to see him in his world, and spend a few minutes with all his friends and teachers instead of always rushing around. His teacher Ms. L gave him a little bag of goodies and they hugged. It filled my heart with joy, to see the apparent bond they shared.

We came home early and after checking my office emails (sorry) I sat down to play with all his new toys - Thomas, Percy, Caboose, McQueen and Mater. I called home and he talked to his Ammamma, though it was probably hard for her to understand everything he said when he is almost screaming into the phone. No he hasn't figured out phone etiquette, yet!

The big party with family and friends is not until next month when his grandparents will be here, so today was sort of a preview for the little guy. But still a cute wonderful day.

Happy Birthday, My Dearest. May all your dreams come true. And remember 3 or 30, you will always be my little treasure.

Picture Perfect

I have been tagged by Abha a month ago to do this tag (sorry been lazy)

“Go into your photo archive,pick the 4th folder in the archive,select the 4th picture in the folder,and write about it.Then tag 4 other people to do the same."

But since it’s almost end of another month, I figured I should get it over with and since its May I tweaked the tag a bit to make it the 5th folder, the 5th picture. :D Well not only because its May and it’s the 5th month but my 4th folder has pictures that Ahm, that cannot be shared online! So there!
I love this picture of the lil fella, playing away in the Vegas bathroom with his father's toothbrush. Sometime even such a little toothbrush is a source of great entertainment. And for once, we captured the spontaneity with thousands of little Kochunni's.

Like mother, like son

Everyone tends to remember and recall certain things, childhood memories, important days or events; though it works differently for everyone.

I am weak in recalling numbers, I can store about 4 phone numbers – the first phone number that we got (not in use today), it was mainly a source of pride that we finally had a phone and did not have to rely on neighbors to call home or call someone. It was akin to having a new expensive in-demand toy. Our current phone numbers though even those I tend to jumble up once in a while. On the other hand, my colleague is so good at numbers, that I can just ask her instead of checking Outlook.

I can tell you what grocery I bought yesterday, but probably could not tell you how much I paid for it, I would trust the handy credit card statement for that.

I can tell you where to find the nearest stores or parks are by way of landmarks but not by street names, I would trust Google Maps for that. I still get confused on highways on whether to take the south exit or north, often relying on a phone call to husband or my own memory from the landscape surrounding the exits.

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On our way back from daycare, we need to essentially merge into the main street and then cross over three lanes to make a U-turn to head on home. Usually there is very high traffic on the main street, so getting across the lanes is a challenge. So far I always have managed to do it before the first intersection to make the U-Turn, though yesterday the car on the left-most lane would not give me way and as I was closing in to the intersection, I had to make a decision to stay on my line and cross the intersection and hope that I could make the U-turn at the next light. The moment I crossed off, I hear a cry “I want to go home!” Unsure, at this sudden outburst, I tell Kochunni that of course we are going home. He continued to cry and as I looked at him through the mirror, I realized that he was trying to look back and figured out what happened. I explained to him that because there is so much traffic I had to move ahead, but we are definitely on our way home.

Later when I told the story to husband, he told me a similar incident that occurred when he picked up Kochunni a week ago. At that time, my often-forgetful husband, instead of merging onto the highway continued on the ramp, and a familiar voice in the back said “Namal yengada pogune” (where are we going?) in a matter-of-fact way. In that instant, husband realized his mistake and jumped back onto the highway.

Seems like Kochunni is emulating a similar memory pattern like me, and I am totally in awe that this little guy seems to know his way home!

Calling all moms

There is a tag that been going around for a while in mom-o-sphere blogs, known by various names - ‘around the world in 80 clicks’, motherhood – why do I love it etc, that grabbed my attention. The reasons were varied and many but a universal theme of love certainly binds these conglomerate of posts together.

Even before Kodi's Mom tagged me for this tag, I was thinking about what would be the five things that I would put down for why I love being a mother. I started to think back to the time when we started talking about parenting and bringing a child into this world. Pregnancy itself was a breeze, though delivery & post delivery was a cyclone of emotions. Now all said and done, I am forever a doting mother to a very rambunctious boy. So what does of the last 2 and half years do I love the most?

1. I love the raw emotion that pulses through every thought, deed or action. The pride in his everyday milestones, the fear when he is sick, the happiness when he gives me a sudden hug or kiss, the sheer joy when he calls “Amma”. Its potent enough that when I return a hug I am scared of hugging him too tight.

2. I love the fact that its helping me become a better human being. I know I am less judgmental of other parents as I know how difficult it is to hear all the advise that pours in and still knowing your child better than any of advice givers to seep through and pick and choose. I am more patient, more careful in everything I say or do, as means of setting an example.

3. I love seeing the connections I see Kochunni building with my parents, the adoration in my parents eyes, Kochunni making 'best friends' with his muthu (muthashan/granddad). The bonding with his cousins, aunts, uncles and all the extended family and friends. It’s a beautiful how Kochunni seems to realize when we are among family and friends and then opens up to them.

4. Even though the momentous decision to have the baby was ours, the right of motherhood, the privilege and the responsibility given to me from the Lord has in turn made me feel more humbler, more closer to His divinity.

5. And lastly I love the fact that I will forever be a mother, and with that I can wear multiple hats – the teacher, the story-teller, the ‘boo-boo go away’ magician, the friend.

Now the rules of the tag
Just write a post of your own (5 things that you love about being a mom/dad) and find someone to link to and tag - someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country (Google is a good resource if you don't know any; Google any country name and 'mom/dad' in their blog search function) (be sure to let them know that you've tagged them!) - and link back here and HBM and leave a comment.

Since this venture was started to connect moms around the world, here's my feeble attempt to make a few new friends, courtesy of this tag. So I tag these folks that I just Googled up, in no particular order -

Pensive Thoughts from Philippines
My Oweini Life from Middle East
From the land of monkeys and princess from Texas (I think)
See the woods and the trees from Ireland
Come, mommy

On a hot summer day

Pull out a big tub,
fill it with some water,
get the water toys .... AND ....
let the kid splash up some joy!

Day trips

With toddlers, day trips are easier, rather fun and relaxing. Last weekend we made a trip to the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad for a picnic lunch, train & carousel ride. Three families, three kids and a nice warm day - a fun day for picnic.

Now even though I am pretty decent at organization at work and get things done in a timely manner, at home there are a lot of times where I seem to be playing 'catch up'. First off, I decided to make some moong dal + potato cutlets but forgot to pack bread to make the sandwich and had to borrow from our friends, who we picked up on the way. Our friends forgot plates for the rice they had made, though luckily I had remembered to carry some. I got Kochunni his favorite waffles but he wouldn’t eat any and I seemed to have no backup, but luckily our friends had got some muffins which he ate with delight. So somehow we managed. After a potpourri of lunch we hit the Railroad – a mini train ride around Vasona and Oak Meadow park. The kids enjoyed the ride and later Kochunni kept talking about the railway crossings, & the ‘paugha’ (smoke). We went to the play area along Oak Meadow Park and spent the next few hours watching the kids tumble and play. Of course, we had a fighting Kochunni on our hands when finally we decided to turn back, and I had to use my creative power to ask him to play catch to at least get him to leave the playgrounds and move towards the exit.

This weekend, the same friends called us over for another train ride, knowingly well that both our boys had enjoyed the mini-train ride last week. And so we found ourselves at Niles Canyon Railway, another non-profit weekend getaway that provides a 30 minutes train ride from Niles Station to Sunol Station. On aboard the steam train, there is a good hillside and nature to peek at transporting us to past, though the occasional view of the roads brought us right back into the present. The ride itself was pleasant though on the other end at Sunol there are just a couple of restaurants and a very small park (no play area) for folks to relax before boarding the next train back. Since we were now experts at picnic we managed to find a shady spot and relax for a while before letting the kids play around in the park. Since there was no play area we had to be innovative and played the choo-choo train, catch, I spy etc & kept the boys busy. With all the running around we were soon tired enough to call it a day. We headed back to the station, and the heat wave started to burn our skins. Kochunni hated being so hot and kept asking us to find him some shade though none was available. The little guy cried his heart out, and I felt so bad for him. But we soon headed back and once the train moved, Kochunni relaxed enough to enjoy the journey back. When we reached home, we headed straight to the bed wanting to curl up and nap. Of course, Kochunni hates taking naps these days and just kept bouncing off in the bed, though for a change husband and I relaxed enough to get a couple of winks.

In the evening I headed out to OSH (a local nursery cum hardware store) to get myself a little plant for the kitchen windowsill. As it happens I don’t really have a green thumb, unlike my mother-in law who is an ace at such things. Anyway, I picked up an African violet not even knowing much about Violets or any indoor plants for that matter, I was actually looking to buy a money plant (the only indoor plant name that I know of, (see how bad I am) but none was available so I picked out these pretty violets that were just too beautiful to pass off. After purchasing a green pot (Kochunni’s shopping influence) I came home happy. After a nice dinner, we were off to la-la land, as the hot day wore off into to warm night.

Vishu 2009

With two young corporate go-getters and today being a weekday, this year’s Vishu celebrations at our house is a bit subdued than previous years. But trying to be a good mother, you do your best. And so after Kochunni went to bed yesterday, I set up a small Kani. Today after waking up early, I lit the diyas and woke up the husband and then took the sleeping Kochunni to the puja area to show him the wonderful sight. This is the tricky thing, since Kani needs to be seen before sunrise, it was quite early for him. He opened his eyes and quickly turned away, trying to get away from the bright lights, still in his sleep. I figured that is good enough and took him back to bed.

With a few hours at hand, after bath I made the traditional “quick and easy” semiya payasam and some breakfast. After getting Kochunni’s lunch box ready, I went out to get some flowers from the front yard to make a pookalam(flower-kolam). Luckily the roses were in full bloom and just like last year I set up a small pookalam in front of the house and inside, near the puja area. Soon Kochunni was awake and it felt like any other day with the morning activites to get him ready. He was a bit surprised with the Vishukaineetam and was happy to play with the silver coin he received from us. And that was it, as for the celebrations for today.

It will be a long day at work and the regular temple visit will probably have to be postponed. But thinking about the yummy payasam I made earlier today, almost makes up for not really having a big sadya (feast) at lunch. (you know where my priorities lies :D)

Here's wishing you all a very prosperous & happy Vishu!

To Russia, With Love

How cute is this? This guys seems to know Hindi and Russian and can definitely sing a tune.



Original Songs:
Jimmy Aaja


Goro Ki Na Kalo Ki

TV Land

For a while now, Kochunni prefers to eat his lunch/dinner in front of the idiot box watching his cartoons and songs. It’s the daily ritual and seems like the food wont travel down his throat if the TV isn’t on, though our recent India trip dispelled this myth, making me want to clear the clutter on the dinner table and use that for a family meal. Of course easier said than done , with too many things going against it.
One, the dining table is very near our entry point into the house, which means the stack of letters (read spam), bags and everything else virtually are always placed there until the next morning when needed again.
Two, family meals is a thing of past as Kochunni (presumably) needing to go to bed early has to have his dinner by 7, at which time (on most days) husband is not home. Then having just two people sit at this large table seems too elaborate an effort.
And so the TV saga continues, though to be fair, I too love watching my shows eating my dinner (the Gen Y effect)

Now for some of his favorite show reviews
Curious George – A monkey living in the big city with his man-friend in yellow hat, a perfect foil for a toddler learning new things, curious at figuring out the ways of the world. George doesn’t really speak but just makes sounds Ah! and the OOO’s, while the background commentator helps move the story forward. A nice blend of learning and fun makes it very entertaining even for adults

Sagwa – The Chinese Sesame Cat and Clifford – The Puppy Days - These two shows are in some ways similar and yet different. Both show talking animals and their owners, living in harmony. Though the owners don't realize that these pets can talk and only hear their barks or meows they seem to understand them well. Often the stories are split between the adventure of the kitten/puppy vs the adventure of the pet owner, both teaching viewers the importance of family, friendship, valor and other important qualities. Where one shows a family of kittens, Clifford has a made friends with a bunny, a bird, kittens and even a family of mice.

Bob the builder – This is an eternal favorite with the little guy, more for the trucks and than anything else. The first time he saw the video it was at the local Walmart store as we were doing some shopping. Kochunni then a 18 month old, squealed in delight at the sight of the brightly colored trucks and would get mad and cry every time Bob or Wendy came on the scene. He wanted to stay on the same aisle forever and we had the hardest time moving along. Seeing his enthusiasm, I did buy a video for him and to this day he sings the opening number with much gusto, even when he hasn't seen the video in months.

Thomas the Tank Engine – The first time Kochunni saw the show (again around 18 months) he seemed to be frightened at the somewhat plastic , chubby face of Thomas and his friends. He cried “Venda” (don’t) and asked us to stop playing the video. He did not mind reading about the train and his adventures through the scores of library books that passed through the house. I think today he wouldn’t mind watching the show though I haven’t had a chance to rent/buy the videos for a long time now.

Manjadi – A wonderful delight of songs, quite nicely rendered in 3D animation, though not comparable to any Hollywood production, it is still a decent attempt. We first found them on You Tube (no longer showing the full songs) and it was an instant hit with the little guy and singing the short songs became part of long car rides. The latter half of the CD contains stories from the Panchatantra that seem a little tedious to watch. But the songs from all three volumes are still some hot favorites in our household.

There you have the current favorites of the Kochunni household. I can already see signs of Kochunni getting distracted with Clifford and Sagwa, which might soon have to be replaced. So what about you, what are the favorites at your house these days?