Before the actual trip, leme tell you kids ALWAYS foil your best laid plans. We booked an early morning flight. By early, I mean EARLY. 6am. This means that we have to leave home by 4am considering airport is about 50kms away. We ofcos firmly believed that Cubby will sleep through the trip and get up only by the time we reach Pune at around 730am. But our son must be Suryavanshi considering he was up at 330 when we were trying to change his diaper and was up being his cute self at that ungodly hour. He actually thought we will find it adorable if he runs away while putting on the diaper! Geez!
The cab came on time and he must have slept for about 10mins in the 45mins trip and was again up and about at the airport. He was running wild all over the place and just enjoying the space and even more I am guessing, our stunned faces! The flight was pretty ok and we were home soon. Cubby hardly took any time warming up to his grandparents. The BIL and SIL with their kid were there too! So catching up was done till they left in the afternoon.
Enjoying first "bed" tea in Pune!
The great Indian Phamily!Soon we were finalizing menu and other plans etc for the vaastu shanti puja (sorta house warming) planned for the following Sunday. Since I am a Maharashtrian, the responsibility of confirming all the arrangement in Marathi was left to me. I did a good job of it! :p Even managed to get a cot on rental for my grand father since he cant sit for such extended periods.
Nobody was spared from doing some odd-job!
Didn't I say NOBODY! MILs doing her bit!
Next day was spent in getting the house cleaned. MILs is a task master and made sure that the tiles and doors got polished and everything was in shape for the Puja. We had carried our lunch since she was quite sure that work will take at least 4 - 5hrs. So we had a picnic of aloo parathas and achaar in the empty flat. Cubby had a whale of a time seeing so much space and kept running around the entire time.
Happy faces after work done and a day well spent. In the lobby of the new house.We went for dinner to this pretty place called Khaana, Peena, Jeena close to home. Lot of food was hogged and conversation had before turning in for the day. MILs also managed to to convince her tailor to stitch coupla salwar suits for me in one day. He actually did a pretty good job of it and two dress materials that will lying with me from Nov 2007 are now in dress form. Yay!
Us performing the puja as a couple. Cubby completes the picture perfectly! :)Sunday the Puja happened. Mummy (MILs) had arranged an awesome Panditji who did the puja in Arya samaji way. The puja was short and rather than droning on Mantras for hours without explaining the meaning, panditji picked some important mantras and actually explained it meaning. He also peppered the puja with day to day anectodes, mythological stories and there wasn't a dry eye in the room by the time he finished. It was totally beautiful.
Most of my relatives came late thinking it will be least a 3hrs affair! But i was happy to have all loved ones under one roof and felt really blessed. This was also our way of making sure we meet so many of our folks who stay in Pune without going to everyone's place because there was no time to do it!
Cubby with his great-grandfather who was thrilled to see him! He is 91yrs old!We managed to go to my grandpa's place once and had dinner with him and my kaka-kaku. Kaku as usual went ballistic with cooking and even made besan laddus to take home. Cubby had an entire laddu for the first time! The evening was well spent in that gorgeous house.
Oho! Aur kitta time lagega saare laddu banne mein?! :p
Mera toh laddu se hi pet bhar gaya!
Daadu and Pota wearing same combo! Same smiles!By now it was already time to go to Bombay and the trip ended even before it started! But then no number of days are enough when you are going home. Cubby was totally enamoured by Daadu's ponytail and Daadi's cooking by the time we left.
Daadi! Mujhe bhi toh naashta do!Thanks Mummy for arranging that lovely puja. Am sure someone else couldn't have done half a good job at such short notice. Thanks Papa for being your usual fun self! :)
Heres some more pictures!
Cubby n daadu having fun in the colony park!
I know i am fat and cant wear a saree! :p Both the sets of parents!
Cubby lolling on Panjoba's (great grandfather) bed till he arrives!
He took my bed away, i flicked his walking stick!
No way I am giving it back people!
Am so glad everyone made it! :)
Glad to be rid of the saree for post Puja chilling! :p
Please to ignore "bai" looking mother and just notice Cubby's cute n fake smile!
46 comments:
As always got the spirit n life of the entire trip. Those days, very short in time but so rich in quality.It was haven on earth for me.Kabir looks so cute with G-grandfather's stick n in the bed meant for him.
:) That Dadu-pota-same-combo snap is so so so cute :)
And Cubby is surely inheriting that smile of yours and M's added together :)
But yeah, kids seem to be extra energetic at unearthly hours! :)
Great snaps and best wishes!
Lovely pictures as always. Love Cubby's smile!
And whats with the kids these days..giving such fake/diplomatic smiles? :D
Lovely post...sweet pics...and first time I could relate to the dar-o-deewar in the backgrounds ;)
Your mom looks soo cool and young! Cubby has a very sweet smile, his twinkling eyes are very beautiful! I think he gets the beautiful smile from you :).
Suma
Cool post Abha..and awesome pictures...:)...btw both grandmas look totally non grandmas...lolz if that made sense
The pic of cubby with the walkin stick is my fav in this series :)
LOL you do not look like a bhai, you look like a happy mom!...looks like you had a great time, and love the pics!
That morning tea scene is so like a holiday ... :)
Loved all your captions!
Abha, Cubby has got his cheerful disposition from you and the same smile!
Sounds like everyone had fun.I like the green saree you are wearing.
Beautiful pictures..
oi! another suma? i'm pretty sure i didn't write that...or did i? no i didn't :)
tho i agree with what she said...
and bai looking mom? nonsense, abha!!!!
and cubby with the stick was cute...its so much fun when the entire family gets together...
Great pics Abha ! Loved cubby's expressions in the second pic with the stick.
Loved the pics as usual...you look lovely in a saree :)...and congrats on the new house!
Your narrative and pictures are so nice and I nearly accompanied you guys on the holiday myself. And the pics so reveal the fun you've all had!
Very cute, all of you.
That was an awesome family get together.. The last time I think it happened at our place was at the DH's & my wedding.. :(
I lurrrrrrrrrrrvve Cubby.. Have I said that before? And, he ate an entire laddoo! High-five him!
cubby's smile is so adorable and now i know where he is got it from...
lovely pics as usual... and BTW u look good in a saree
very sweet update
congrats on the naya ghar
seems like good humour runs in the family ( kaala tikka)
Aww.....I had a tear in my eye seeing the Teary eyed picture. YOu ahve a great family there.
Congrats on the new house. It looks pretty & huge :)
Love Cubby's pic in the kurta & who says u look fat in a saree. You look so elegant & gorgeous.
Hey you look SUPERB in saris!!! Loved the green one!
And CubbyR with the walking stick would be my fav pic!!
Soooooo sweet :)) Cubby looks suuuper-smart in that jubba-pyjama :))
oh btw, have sent you an email :)
I concur with everyone that the Mahatma Cubby pic is the cutest. Although my fav is the bed-tea, simply because it reminds me of the first few moments after Cubby entered that house and was still in wide-eyed wonder at the new surroundings. Yet, he was up to his mischief and smiles within minutes!
Glad we have you around to chronicle the fun times. Somehow, we all have short-term memory for happy events and need these blogs to remind us how there is more to life than TOI headlines!
Papa - :) your photo with him is turning out to be quite popular! and i am not surprised! true happiness shows! :D
WIAN - you know i get terribly flattered when Cubby's smile is compared to mine!! :D
~nm - and how do they learn to give fake smiles so young?! how do they know!!
toon ji - oh yes! was really glad to have you guys over! :)
suma - thankoo and welcome!! kids have the most beautiful eyes dont they? not jaded with grow up realities!
AF - my MILs will be very happy to haer about how young she looks! shall let her know! and i know just what you mean by non-Grandma! :D
OM's mommy - Bhai is a gangster an bai is maid!! why youi calling me bhai!! :P just teasing ya!!
cheers!
abha
WOW .lovely pics ..he is becoming more and more adorable :) Love his smile ..nazar utar lena uski.
Nice update Abha :) You look pretty in a saree. Is your apt in Aundh? Looks familiar. Even 5 weeks are less when you go home :( Cubby looks his usual cute bubbly self!
IHM - thankoo! and yes the first chai as soon as we reached where everyone is trying to say something and so happy to be with each other! :)
asaan - merci beaucoup! i waer that green saree for every function considering that blose has been loosened up! :p
suma - even i was wunnering how come you commented as anon!! grinned reading Oi! i use that sound so often! :D and yes, family get togethers are almost always fun!
2b's mommy - thanks! my bro managed to capture it!
munchkin - well the house technically belonmgs to both the brothers and we were just around to do the puja! but aint complaining! :D
sowmya - us cute too? not just cubby??!! been a long time heard that! thanks! :D
Dee - woman! you are please to meet and do the high five yourself! been ages we been in planning stage! :(
cheers!
abha
monika - you look stunning in a saree! you know how to carry it! :)
art - you know i didnt really feel the excitemenmt of naya ghar as such since we didnt choose it or anything! but getting together with everypne was funnn! thankoo!
M&A - arre i knew if i call myself fat all of you will be nicer! :p i KNOW i so need to lose weight! and thankoo for the nice words!!
SnS - got your mail! see ya super soon! :)
Puja - the consensus seems pretty unanimous about Cubby's photo! :)
Vidooshak - well just thankful that we have all these memories worth remembering! :)
swati - thankoo! :D
HC - thanku! and this is in Wakad! aundh has become too expensive now! you puneri too?!
cheers!
abha
Nah, nah, nah
you arent fat, i know you want to hear this, so you said you look fat,
actually to make everyone look at you. wicked girl, Attention freak-Like me, I mean.
Cubby's pics are amazing, this boy will go places... agar bollywood nahi toe hollywood zarur jayega.
ANd girl, please give me the address of that tailer who could make 'couple of salwar kameezes' in a single day. Puhleez puhleez !!!
Can I just say I adore the pic of him with your granddad's walking stick and also the one where he is peeking up in the dining table in the "Mera toh laddu se hi pet bhar gaya!" pic? I think if I meet him I am gonna eat him!
No, not Puneri...pukka Bombayite :) We were in Pune for 2 yrs and stayed in Aundh. There were so many bldgs coming up and 2bdrm flats were selling for 9 lakhs. If we had bought them at that time we would have been crorepatis by now :)
I loved reading about this rather different bur oh-so-important milestone in your life. The pics and captions were, as always, brilliant.
You know what I love best about your posts? The anecdotal style of writing! You remind me so mch of my best friend. Hope to meet you real soon in real life!
mampi - nooo! i am just being honest and accepting the truth i am fat! have really gained pots again! you are gorgeous! :) and i dont dare give Pune tailors address to a Punjab lady! no way!! and thats my MIls power to get it done! :D
JaM - yeah yeah! he is more bones, thank flesh! but you can eat whateva you get! :p
HC - when they were selling flats for 10lakhs is blr we didnt have that much! by the time we though we could afford 20 perhaps, the flats cost 50! so there is not mucho hope! and me from Bombay too! :D
namesake - i so hope to meet ya in real life too! but first just drop me line so that i know your asli naam least!! :D and of your adorable EO and YO! :)
cheers!
abha
What? I come back after ages and see the Cubby's beautiful hair is all gone. *Heart breaks*
Lovely lovely pics, congratulations on the new home!
1. the cub looks awesome with the lathi and the lovely dhothi
2. stop calling urself bai. u're lovely.
PM - i am praying it grows back curly though chances, unlike me, seem slim! :( you know other day i saw a cute college guy with curly hair and sighed about how i dreamed Cubby would like that perhaps! :)
Chandni - yeah! a very cool hand me down kurta pajama!! :D and i look like a bai in that picture re!! even i have occassional bad photo days!!
cheers!
abha
Great fictures of the great Indian phamily! And I'm really intrigued by this place called Khana Peena Jeena. Why the Jeena? Just curious. :-)
Cheers,
Quirky Indian
QI - what is jeena (not steps as in marathi, but to live in hindi!;) without khaana and peena? nahi?!
cheers!
abha
Nice pics, family meetings can indeed be fun, as evident from your post
oh wow Abha.u look lovely in the green saree.good to know that u had a lovely trip.
this was so heartwarming. :)
cubby's gorgeous!!! :)))
wat does kaku mean?
pesto sauce - thankoo and welcome to the blog! and yeah family reunions are mostly fun! :)
AA - thanks girl!! :)
roop - thankoo! kaka is chaacha and kaku is chachi in marathi.
cheers!
abha
hey.. im jealous.. seems like u had loads of fun.. wish i was there too :-)
lol @ bai cum mom :D
Clearly u had a whale of a time....such occassions give us an opportunity to reconnect na?
Cubby as usual looks adorable but he has lost weight kya? Looks like a stick...
You're not fat and you look *fab* in a saree.
emaan - dude you seem to be having such fun all the time too! :D
smita - arre chashma pehen! there is Cubby AND a stick in the photo! :p he hasnt lost weight! but his weight has grown with him! so yes, he is much skinnier now! unlike his mom! :p
MJ - aww! you are sweet! no i didnt say that to get i am not fat responses. i really NEED to lose about 15kgs for health reasons more than anything else! ofcos ability to fit in nicer clothes is a defi upside! :)
cheers!
abha
Cubby looks very cute in that traditional salwar-kurta and the lil jacket. Sounds like you had a fun trip. Cool pics!
Nice haircut .. must have been a struggle to get Cubby to sit still?
And nice 'bai' pose, huh? :)
priyanka - thankoo! :) and that kurta is hand-me-down from his older cousin! :p
avionic - oh well! we shaved his head coupla months ago. that was fdone by a professional at the temple! so this current hair is all that has grown in 2months! :p dunno how we will manage his next haircut! my colleague keeps calling it Ghajini look! sigh!
cheers!
abha
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