Can you get me next size?

Tall boy look

In Dad's shoes

Cute Blue dress

Out-of-Home

Diya would like to stay out of home most of the time. Everyone in the family will go in shifts taking her for a walk. She will be the first one to reach for the doors and run down the stairs. She is getting close to the security guard who is already not doing his job properly. Evenings are spent in the near by park where Diya plays with kids and comes back home in deep sleep.

 

 

New words learnt

Some of the key words learnt by Diya

 

chaari (Sorry)

paava (paavam)

naa da (naan dhaan)

hon yel (Honeywell)

gu mor (Good Morning)

niya niya odi ya ( Nila Nila Odi Vaa)

 

Other Communication mechanisms-

 

Big Laugh (Thank You)

Continuous Banging on Floor (Its unfair, Its unfair)

*Loud Creech Sound (Why do you trouble so much / Leave me alone)

 

*Meena, my sister-in-law becomes the root cause / victim of this most of the time.

 

 

Bend it like!

With Tashu

Tashu , the sweet little friend, takes care of Diya very well. She really 'knows' how to handle Diya. Diya calls her akka meaning elder sister

Back from Bday party

At Hotel President on Republic day

Diya at Hotel President on Republic Day.

Recipe for Success

Top of the world

<- Diya is gauging the depth and was amazed to learn that she was at the top of the world. ->

On Pongal Day

Diya in ethnic wear on Pongal day.

Swing and Slide

Diya performing on swing and slide in JP Nagar park.

Cat at JP Nagar Park

Diya believes all animals belong to three categories : bav-bav, meow and yaanai (elephant). Diya has befriended this meow at JP Nagar park close to my apt.

2008 Calendar

Looking back 2007

Looking back 2007, it was just amazing. Diya has grown from crawling baby to a naughty baby. This blog stands witness to all that she did and doing. We look forward for more in 2008.

Welcome Jr. Kotur

Jo-Prashanth are now proud parents of a baby boy! Congrats guys! And Welcome Junior, you will be gifted with a blog site sooner :)

Welcome Jr.Shridhar

Shridhar Dhomne is now a proud dad of a junior. Congrats buddy!

 

Ok, who is next in series?

Unwell and active

Diya sweety is not well for the past two days. She became ok yesterday and was very active. I took her to the near by hotel, she was trying to make friend of the cleaner boy there. A teen kid in the apartment took her a snap (I don’t know if she covered me too) when we were on the road. Now Diya is very drowsy and calm. But still, she becomes ON the moment her favorite toy ‘rosy paapa’.

 

Paapa on fan

Diya's friend "pappa" has climbed the fan yesterday. Diya is all joy and cheer to see her friend on the top.

From behind the cot

 

Karthigai function

 

Demanding

 

Demanding

 

Folk Dance by Diya

 

Kiddley

Here is a link for everyday ideas for you and your kids. http://kiddley.com/  Let me see how many I can use for Diya.

 

 

Training request

Yesterday Tashu and Aadhi visited us to play with Diya. Tashu was enjoying all that Diya was doing. I have personally Tashu to train Diya on good habits J

 

Diwali relevance

Diya is in Pallavaram enjoying her time with Aravind and Gayathri. She ‘spoke’ to me very cutely over phone. As usual, she was holding the mobile phone upside-down and inverted. Since the speaker was on, she responded to my conversation. But more than her screaming voice was the loud crackers.

Visit this blog in future – By the time Diya learns to read, and when she visits this blog entry, crackers would have been completely banned in India as in Singapore. One of the loud cracker sent vibrations across the apartment. Even my heart was shaking at the sound. Are we here to test the strength of the building and our ear drums? I really pity the patients in the neighborhood Diwakars Hospital. Leave alone SC’s restrictions on decibel limits – where goes our common sense? Is the way we celebrate Diwali still relevant?

CNN IBN on Diwali

No fancy

Diya is on the way to Chennai to see her great-grand ma. Diya will miss the fancy dress event and Diwali celebrations in our apartment.

Diya and Diwali

There was less cheer at home for Diwali as a close relative is not well. Diya, however, was enjoying herself in full spirit. Once I took her to the balcony to show the fireworks. Burst of a cracker scared her – I could see the shock on her face. I tried to motivate her showing the rising and waning fireworks on the sky. Diya was not amused.

I did not buy any crackers as usual. Dad got some basic ones for Diya to observe the tradition. Otherwise, my god, the city was shaking with loud crackers, and smoke everywhere.

Everytime I hear of a kid having some health issue, I know its we who created the bad state for her. Sometimes I even suspect that the milk – branded one- that we get in our apartment is adulterated. (How do I check that?)

Kid are the real victims – Fast life, Fast Food, Pollution, Media!

My society, you don’t need graduate parents, you need educated ones.

Welcome Jr.Pradeep

Pradeep-Shoba couple have a junior Pradeep now. Born at 8:03 pm. Congrats guys! Hope Madhan will setup a blog for the junior sooner.

Verbally yours

Diya speaks a lot these days. We really dont understand her baby language. But she repeats the same set of 'words', with facial expression combined with body language. She has picked the tunes of 'baba black sheep', 'निला निला ओडी वा', 'twinkle twinkle little star' and rhymes her own tunes in a perfect fashion. She is a very excited and unstoppable singer. She speaks more on mobile with the instrument direction reversed. Ask her how does grand pa snore, she changes her look and make a 'kor kor' sound.

At Home

Diya got a special gift from me for Diwali. The house was setup by Madhan uncle.

Why are babies awake in night? - An analysis

Madhan was sharing about Vikas and that he was awake in the night. Nothing new, but it’s a common complaint from all parents (especially dads). I and Madhan got into research mode why is this happening to all kids. Our first level research revealed this:

FINDING-1: Kids are born in US time zone!

Why?

FINDING-2: God belongs to US time zone!

May not be!

But kids in US too are awake in their nights!

FINDING-3: God creates children for opposite time-zones

At the receiving end

When Diya was in Bangalore, she had atleast 3 phone devices (all faulty) to play with. She would scream ‘haal’ (read Hello) and imitate busy conversation and walk from one end to another. It became a routine that I stopped paying attention to that.

 

When I called in-laws place, Meena picked. She was holding Diya. Diya, as usual, wanted the phone to talk. Diya got the receiver and started babbling. I talked to her with affection pouring; she responded with phone reversed and talking on her own. Her voice, her speech sounded very significant to me having been away for more than two weeks. Another two weeks to go.

Meow Meow poonai kutti

Whenever Diya enters our room to play, how much ever we call her to bring her to hall, she wont turn up. But if sing the song “Meow Meow poonai kutti^[1], veetai chuttum poonai kutti” , a cute song from Kumudham, Diya would rush to the hall, as though she was giving attendance.

This song comes very rarely in TV channels. Today, the song was coming in Kalaingar TV 15 minutes back and was a very pleasant listening. The song reminded of Diya; I can call Sudha now but it could disturb if my poonai kutti is sleeping.

 

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^[1] Poonai kutti means kitten

Do you miss?

I am just back from lunch and was humming a song that I used to sing for Diya. When Diya took long hours to sleep, I used to try different ragas and innovations to make her sleep. Now, I miss her so much that I wish that even if Diya be awake whole night playing, I would be happy.

Do all parents miss their children after the children (after they grow) get married to somebody?  Or do the married daughters know how much their parents miss them, especially the dad?

Learn from kids

One key thing that elders need to learn from the kids is to SMILE.

தியாவின் சுற்றுப்பயணம்

தியா நேற்று இரவு மதுரைக்கு புறப்பட்டு சென்றாள். தியா இல்லாமல் வீடு வெறிச்சென்று இருக்கிறது. அவள் அடுத்த மாதம் திரும்பி வரும் போது நிறைய கற்று கொண்டு வருவாள்.

Twenty20

I am undergoing interesting part of my life, I don’t know how do I put it. Diya is in full form – (a) not eating properly but eats at will from our plates (b) doesn’t sleep on time; sleeps for 5 minutes and gets up charged and become active (c) demands everything and makes big noise if denied (d) picks any object and pretends it to be phone (e) doesn’t play alone and she needs one of us at home to be with her. No, its not a complaint. I have seen some parents undergo all this. But when I undergo the same, it looks like a Twenty20 match to me – its interesting, its little uncomfortable, its fun, its innovative ( I innovated few games for Diya) and everything counts. Sudha asks me ‘how are you going to manage her when she grows?’. My mom says ‘all kids of this generation are behaving the same way’. And my mom also warns me ‘be prepared for more when she starts talking’.

Revisiting Pattamangalam

Diya is visiting Pattamangalam next week.

Cute Hide-and-Seek

Diya plays very cute hide-and-seek these days. She hides behind the cot support and slowly pops her head out to reveal that she is there. Again she withdraws herself and again come forward in slow motion and makes a big smile. The big smile is enhanced by sparks from randomly-grown teeth. Some times, she does this hide-and-seek even in open space!!! I will post some pictures in this page sooner.

Tap Dance

Diya has learnt tap dance and she enjoys as she performs. When the grannies sing ‘thay..thay..thata thayi..”, she moves perfrectly. Do come and watch.

Pampered

Diya is enjoying to her best that both her grand parents in town. The grannies are busy teaching her new skills, new words and the house is like play school (with 1 kid and more teachers). When she enjoys music, she lifts one hand above and dances to the tune and walk across. Its really fun to watch her so.

Sofa-stifcated

Diya's new practice is - she climbs on to the sofa before eating something on her own. She would have noticed any of us eating in sofa rather than dining table. Sofasticated life!!!

Gadgets have no value

Regularly I bend and mend my spectacle frames as they point in different directions.

The other day my laptop screen was covered with dried food particles that one day my colleague asked whether I have my food in my cubicle only.

Today my mobile skin (which is very thick like cow skin) is disfigured as though a rat or a shark had its tooth impression.

 

You readers will readily sympathize with me that all my gadgets are under attack.

 

Courtesy: Diya

Kreechchchch....

Next time when you are around JP nagar and hear a loud kreechhhing sound, you may be wondering if it’s a car brake, or a running engine running out of friction or something strange going on. But its none other than Diya, screaming for everything we do against her wish. Neighbours and street dogs please forgive J

 

With whatever we have, Life is Beautiful. With kids around, Life is Blissful.

 

Rakshabandhan

Today is Rakshabandhan – a day to celebrate relationship between brothers and sisters. I believe that such relationships are not made, they are god-sent. My religion is that of love for my brothers and sisters. It is very significant for our kids – even starting from Diya’s age – to develop the culture of such bonding. This ensures the future generation a reservoir of love and security.