As you turn 2 today...
My dear Nithila,
Today you are two years old… for you, this day means a day of cake cutting, getting gifts and everyone wishing you ‘Happy Burday’… but sweetheart, there is so much more to this day and the year that has gone by… there are so many things I want to tell you… talk to you about… about you, about me, about us, about people around us… but you might not quite understand them today… so writing them here for you to read someday :-)
Our journey over this year has been very fascinating with you… you having grown from a tiny tot to an incredibly interactive and inquisitive kid… from having to tell you ‘this is a bus, that is a car’ to now you yourself rattling ‘mamma voh dekho bus, mamma voh dekho car’… and having to answer your endless questions – ‘mamma what is this?’… It seems only a couple of months back when we had celebrated your first birthday… time flies… you didn’t have your own friends then and so we invited many of Papa’s and my friends for your birthday… and ofcourse dadi, babaji, bua, aaji and aaba had all come to be with you on your special day… Over the year, you have made your own set of friends… many in this building complex we stay in, including the security guards and liftmen who have taken a liking to you and your subtle ‘hi bhaiya’… also friends in your playgroup… yes in June this year, you started going to playgroup… had written an account of your first day at the playgroup (the first post on this blog)… do read it sometime… an enjoyable experience for me and am sure for you too… over the last six months in playgroup, you have learnt a lot… quite a lot I must say… today you recognize all letters and numbers (if you are in a mood to !!), most animals, a few birds, sing a couple of rhymes and you have also started showing interest in puzzles… doing all of this with you is sheer fun… specially the rhymes which are all new to me and coming from you, they sound like an extraterrestrial language (it took me a good one week to figure out that your ‘poi poi poi poi’ actually meant ‘rolly polly rolly polly’!!!!)
You have been a very travel friendly kid, something that has pleased us immensely… we had tested this last year when we drove down to Bangalore to your mama’s place… overwhelmed with that experience, this year, we experimented all the more and ventured out with you to some new places… we did go to Kanha wildlife sanctuary where you were introduced to Bison… this is one animal you have heard of the most because since that day you seem to be frightened of him (atleast!!)… and it continues even today (thankfully!!)… even today we frighten you with ‘jaldi jaldi kha lo, bison aa jaayega’… and you gulp down your food instantly… tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars etc are all your friends because they exist in your books and you see them and feel them daily… you made a new friend on that trip… Naina… and then we also went to Malaysia to meet her… you had the most amazing time there running on the beach, swimming with papa, eating fries and chips (only!), sitting in the trolleys and playing with Naina all through… you and her are two of a kind… a complete riot… and in Diwali this year, we had spent a couple of days in Kumarakom backwaters (in Kerala)… the boat rides were fabulous… you may not have really figured out but the place is almost a heaven… we will go there once again when you grow up enough to appreciate nature and its plentiful beauty...
I would love to live your life I think sometimes… you wake up when you please, around 7am mostly… and its like an alarm for us (me and urmila didi), a signal that we should start running around… from brushing your teeth, to feeding you milk, to giving you bath, to ironing your clothes, to getting you ready for school, to feeding you breakfast, to making your tiffin… you and me then venture out (rather rush out almost everyday!!) together and I drop you to your playschool… you spend two hours there, playing with other kids and also sometimes learning a thing or two… once back home, you continue your play at home… and post lunch (which is like an hour and half long affair atleast !!) you happily go off to sleep… a good three hour nap is what it takes for you to recharge and ready for running and jumping around for another two hours in the building play area… nothing seems to tire you… once papa and me are back home, you are all electric and showcase to us your new learning (words, phrases, skills, concepts) for the day, leaving us speechless at times… till you have dinner and retire to sleep around 10pm… On weekends, papa and me get to, rather try to spend more time with you and these are truly special times… we love each moment, and I hope you do too…
Our best moments have been spent laughing together… You have been a pleasant kid, smiling always with an infectious laughter… and we have laughed with you all the while… except when you decide to throw tantrums which annoy me to no extent… I cannot forget one Sunday morning when I took you along with me to the market to buy veggies and fruits… normally you do sit on your own in the front seat next to me, tied down by the seat belt, while I drive you around… but that one day you had decided to be very difficult… everytime car stopped at the signal or in traffic, you would yell and cry saying ‘chalo momma’… inspite of explaining to you that there are vehicles ahead of us, and that we cannot fly, you refused to calm down…. Then to add to it you wanted to listen to and dance to songs on radio and for some reason all 6-7 channels were playing either advertisements or RJ talking… and it annoyed you all the more… you stood up on the seat and almost opened the door of the running car… at the market, you pulled down a heap of chickoos and oranges and went and hid behind a Christmas tree in the next shop… and when you were pulled out from behind the tree, you had three decorative balls in your hands which you had happily plucked from that tree… the shop-owners there didn’t find any of this funny trust me… and I had lost all my patience by then…
Nithila, there have been numerous occasions when I have lost my temper with you… Am extremely sorry for my misbehavior with you at those times… I know I need to work on my patience, especially while feeding you… I know that you do not throw tantrums to irritate me, and these are your own ways of getting attention… I promise to work on my patience and be tolerant to your needs and respect your choices… I will :-) :-)
And talking about choices, we didn’t even realize when your choices and preferences developed… You make your preferences clear right from food (banana remains your favourite..), clothes (anything that is new!!), shoes (remember how you tossed shoes off your feet in the shoe shop when you didn’t like them and it went and hit the attendant’s face!!), toys (you don’t like them at all!!)… now you also have started telling me what I should wear (or not wear!!)… I had expected this to come from you but may be a few years later… wasn’t prepared for it so early on !!!The two months of October and November were the toughest… I had to travel on a project to Kerala and stay away from you… and that was the time you fell ill the most… I missed you sorely… missed being with you and looking after you… but look at the positive side of it… you and Papa have come closer in those two months, more than in last two years… I have seen that attachment grow strong, from a ‘nice to have’ Papa to ‘must have’ Papa for you… you both have become each others NEED now… and am so glad to see this bond getting stronger… When you were born, Papa would talk about holding your hand and taking you to the park… of dropping you to school and catching a glimpse of the other (yummy!) mommies and teachers… now that this milestone is achieved, we talk about wanting to hear those ‘blank calls’ and ‘bikes/cars racing’ around you to get your attention… and Papa wanting to shield you from all of them… :-) :-) While all this is going to take very long, for now, I am looking forward to more of you clinging onto me like a monkey and sleeping, while I try to sing lullabies in some acceptable tune… to you imitating everything that I do, wearing my clothes and shoes and perfume and tripping in them all the time… going shopping with you… you charming everyone you meet, with your antics… telling you same stories again and again, till you remember them word by word… you dancing away to glory on songs, ad jingles (and anything that is remotely musical!!)… holding your hand and doing abstract drawings together… seeing cartoons and reading books with you… taking you around to parks and zoos, to mountains and beaches, to crowded markets and open skies and show the world to you in real…
While I think you have grown beautifully, your Papa thinks you should have had longer and bulkier and darker tresses (typical papa!!)… we are doing all possible home remedies for your tiny curls to match your Papa’s liking… Whether that happens or not, I am sure you will grow to be a gorgeous girl… and more importantly a caring and sensitive human being… who loves and is loved by all… All the good things, is what I wish for you today and always…God Bless… Happy Birthday Nithila…
8 comments
Nithu, u are a very special child with a very special mother!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday darling! iam sure the day u are old enough to read this blog, u will understand the feelings that have gone into it..
You and naina are my babies and i love you both! God Bless you kids.!
I am not sure when you will read this mail but let me tell you that you have a big fan following already.. Wish you a very happy birthday Nithila. Hope that you have a wonderful year and an even better life ahead.
ReplyDeleteAbhishek bhaiya ;)
majhya ladkya Nithila yaas Vadhdivsachya hardik shubhecha..tu nehmi ashich godambi raha..
ReplyDeleteTujhi
Mani Mavshi
Nithila,
ReplyDeleteWhenever you read this, I want you to know that your Mom writes best , when she writes about you :)
You are very special and so will every moment of your life be....
God bless !
Trsut me Nitz, you are gonna have a ball reading this. Wish you all the best things in this world on your birthday and forever.
ReplyDeleteLoads of luv ~ Anshu Bua :-)
Hi Nitia,
ReplyDeleteThe day you sat on my lap and sang "poi poi poi" shyly, is unforgettable. That image is going to be etched in my mind everytime I think of you or meet you. You've got an amazing set of parents and I know you'll become a fabulous daughter, and more importantly, a fabulous person. The "malviya" flag shall fly high. And I'm hoping when you're big enough to read this msg, we'll be good enough friends (inspite of the age gap) that u'd call me and say "love you too bhaiyya". :).
Suri.
Though the laziest bua but finally here comes a comment which u would read eventually in coming years :)
ReplyDeleteNitz u r blessed with such a powerful mom who is not only good at expressing herself but also observing and loving every moment spent with you.
I am sure you would feel extremely proud in reading this blog and would be ecstatic about it :)
Luv u Loads n do the best in life :)
Luv n Luc,
Ankoo Bua :)
Hey...
ReplyDeleteIts interesting to see your blog ... Quite a few of them are interesting too... especially nithila wala...
Nice to see the otherside of Gauri :-)
Cheers
SRK :-)