a MUST break from Goa chronicles!

Another month is already over! Cubby turned 15months old on 20th Oct! One year and three months. So time for first quarterly appraisal of second year! :p

I only LOOK sweet and innocent!

This month has been full of new joys and discoveries and you, my darling son, have been on a cuteness overdrive, making your parents break into big proud grins or sending them into peels of laughter in turns.

Leme rruunn and get that phone!

You are becoming quite a little helper! Especially when it comes to our cell phones. As soon as any of our phone rings, you rush to it, take the phone in your l'il hands and rush to give it to us. You know which phone is mommy's and which one belongs to Papa and you always hand it over to the right person. I was so amazed when you did it the first time and your daddu toh refused to believe me! You also give the paper to us when requested! Thank you for being such a sweetie.

So much to do! So many places to go to!

Your vocabulary is increasing everyday. You try and repeat words after us and sometimes it is like talking at Echo Point where you hear some of your words back. When we ask you "Kabir kela khaayega?", you will say Keeellaa! It's totally sweet. Other words learnt have been Amma, Akka, Paper, Cow (said as Caauu!), bi bo (which is big ball), Bubbe (bubbles) and Hemme (helmet).

My beloved Hemme

Hemme is the chant these days. You are completely fascinated or should I say obsessed with Helmets of all things. When mommy comes back home on a rainy day, she carries hers home. You refuse to even acknowledge my presence and go chanting Hemme! Hemme! as if it's a long lost friend! Thankfully we have an extra one, and we went crazy seeing you lug around a "hemme" half your weight! You also stop by complete strangers who are holding one and just keep staring leaving them very confused. Usually at this point. mommy apologetically tells them about your Hemme fixation and they sweetly let you touch it, which you do, reverently!

Jahan Hemme, Wahin Cubby!

Yun hi chala chal rahi... Boriya bistar leke!

If its not Hemme you love walking around with one of your chaddars or any big pieace of cloth. Its so cute to see you drag it around, sometimes keeping it on your head and at others, stumbling because you are getting all entangled in it!

Jahaan thak jaaye, wahi chadaar faila ke baith jaana!

Kutte!! AA jao! :p on a Goa footpath!

Bhoo continues to be the flavour of this month too. Finding even stray puppies is equivalent to being in paradise! You just keep following them like a l'il pup yourself! :) Onlookers on the platform at Londha station (on our way back from Goa) were thoroughly amused seeing a l'il guy run after dogs calling out "Bhoo! Bhoo!' , so much so that the dogs just ran away after a point. Plus the fact that you were doing it on an unlit platform with just moonlight shining down, some people were even impressed with the courage bit! :p

Now you don't see me!!

You are much smarter than I give you credit. I was quite impressed that you remember stuff I have shown you quite some time ago. You recognise your toys by name. Be it red engine, motor cycle, Ziggy the Zebra or Lucky Mouse. You could also recognise and pick up Penguin, lemon, strawberry and all such boring stuff mommy insists on teaching you rarely. You also now know what is a curtain, a clock and the decorative stuff in our house. Most impressed, baby!

Now you do! Koooki!

You also have understood Shoes means going out. So if Amma gets you ready in the evening with diaper at all, you say Shu! Shu! and actually go and get them. You also pointed out Winnie the Pooh on your new floaters correctly. Perhaps, I should take l'il more effort to teach you more stuff when you are in this sponge state.

Books aren't our enemies now. Not bad enough to just run every time mommy took a book in her hands. If I call you saying "Come ubbi, let's read!", quite often you run, find a book and come to me. The transformation started with liking a book from Karadi Tales about three fishes - Bucki, Timsi and Moti. You say Bucki and Moti and get the book to me and listen to almost half the story in one shot! Not bad, I say!

This is the kinda face we make around feeding time! Sigh!

Eating is still a major task. I am sorry I lose my patience ever so often, but I just don't now why you are SO stubborn about this khaana business! I get totally stumped at your kicking and screaming fest at every meal time. Distractions work for a total of 7mins21secs if we are lucky, by when you haven't even have had half your goop. If too much force feeding happens, you just throw up. I am at my wits end and trying to see how can I be more understanding and patient. How about you returning the favour too, eh?!

You hate us going to bathroom. It's completely crazy. The moment we go, you start crying. Then sobbing and then waaillliiing as if we would never come back. This is inspite of talking to you from inside and reassuring you we will be out soon enough. When Papa is not traveling it's OK because one of us can manage you. But when he is traveling, I have no option, but let you stand outside and cry.

You now Roar as soon as you hear the word Lion. Since I do really bad imitation, you have picked the same. But then again, a roar is a roar, nahi?! You also love Hissing when we say snake goes Hisssssssssssss! You continue to do it till Papa is wondering about you being a descendant of Harry Potter speaking in Parsel Tongue et al. Cauu goes mooo is also said when in an exceptionally good mood or something like that.

You are quite a strong l'il guy. Just the way you moved over smoothly from lactogen to cauu milk, you had no trouble when you had buffalo milk in Goa. First day I added a little water and once I didn't see any trouble, you had regular bhains ka doodh quite easily. You also had simple tap water (with Zero-B attached to it) in Goa and didn't need bisleri or boiled water to stay healthy. You had fish and everything else at those shacks. Am glad your immune system is building itself up to get used to everything. Touchwood. Sometimes I am glad that we were careless enough to stop giving you boiled water when you were 4months old! :p

GaddaGadda = Fun times roll!

You love Gaddas! You run the moment we say "Let's put Gaddas" and just enjoy lolling over them and throwing yourself indiscriminately because you know GaddaGadda will cushion your fall. You will come and quickly sit under the chaddar when we are trying to put it on the gaddas and then come out with eyes shining and twinkling. This is followed up with Bhaago Cubby aaya game and we all keep falling over each other and laughing madly.

I want to wear them myself!!!

You are trying to do things on your own. While last month's love for socks continues, you now want to try and wear them on your own too and get quite frustrated when you are not able to. Sometimes you will eat just a l'il bit more if I keep the piece of roti or bread on my hand for you to take on your own, rather than me feeding you. All in good time sweets! :)

Just one of those moments...

I love the way you snuggle up to me to have that last bit of extended sleep in the morning. Of course the rest of the night you keep moving from one end of the gaddas to another and Papa and you are found in completely different positions than where you guys started! Papa complains about you hogging too much space too often! :D

becoming a big boy!! Step 1 - Glass se paani!

You are learning to have atleast few sips of water with a glass now. You love going Slluurrp and we have to accompany in making the sound. I am hoping you will be able to have doodh with glass in another coupla months. That would do away with the sipper bit too. Maybe.

who needs toys when there are spoons!

All in all you are a complete l'il packet of joy(bundle is for small babies, not l'il boys!). A single day doesn't go by when I don't thank God for sending YOU across to me. Your naughty eyes, your brilliant smile, your baby walk dying to break into a run, your little hands trying to hold on to bigger things, you shaking your head with a vigorous no, you walking all over the place wherever we go and winning hearts with your genial nature... it all fills me with happiness and joy I never knew was possible or even existed!

High five for being YOU, l'il guy!!

I am indeed Mama-mia - Proud Mommy of L'il CubbyR. High Five to that! :D

Love you lots and pots! MMuuaaaaaaaaah!

fulltoo fun @ fOuRtEeN!!

So on 20th of this month Cubby has turned 14months old or one year and 2 months if you please! :)

Piyaa - aka Daadi

And what a month this has been. Your daadi was here and though you were unwell for quite a few days, you have stolen her heart completely. Just like you do, always. Of course we still don't know why you call her "Piya" and then have a naughty smile on your face when she reacts to being called that. We thought it would be a passing phase and you would forget when she leaves. But yesterday we were looking at the photos and you screamed PIYA when you saw daadi on the screen! Mysterious, truly! :)

Youngest Grand Master!

You LOVE walking now. You are still doing the Zombie like walk with your hands in front and legs splayed apart, but you are getting better each day. You are almost trying to run now and it's so much fun seeing you go from one corner to the other. You still crawl too, especially when you are in a rush to reach some place or you are trying to catch an older kid! But if we tell you "no crawling and stand up walk", you actually do that!

nanga eating Ganna - thats an anagram!

The more mobile you get, tougher it is getting to dress you up! I know we are Digambar Jains who used to walk around naked apparently, but it's just our surname sweety. You don't have to take it all that seriously and keep trying to be a professional streaker! You already know how to take off your socks and I am dreading the day you know more!

probably the coolest AND Cutest!

Talking about socks, thats your latest love! Leave you in a room full of socks, you would be one happy kid. You take them off and then come to us, I think, asking us to put them on and then take it off again! Sometimes I see you trying to eat them too and I pull them out telling you its Chee! Chee! to see you at it again a little while later. Sigh!

if only Khichdi got fed as easily as popcorn!

The eating still hasn't improved. Eating without crying that is. Of course when Amma feeds you, we don't even get to hear a whimper, but you take it all out on your poor parents. Marbles help for close to 8 spoons, if you are in a mood to indulge us that is. Papa and me, give each other smiles of relief and that is the time you choose to start that vigorous shaking of head and flailing of arms that sends food flying all over the place. It's only because we are lazy we don't give you full fledged bath post khaana session.

While eating khichdi and such boring stuff is tough, your biscuit eating skills have improved tremendously. We find very little on the floor and you seem to nibble happily on Monaco and Parle G that we offer you every morning when we have our chai. The side effect of this is also that you have been noticing your ghaati mom dunking the biscuit in her coffee and now want to do the same leaving a soggy pile of biscuit at the bottom of my cup. Other stuff like teekhi subzi and dal from our plates is welcome. Try giving the SAME stuff separately and you fight back ferociously.

DabbaDabbaDabbaDabba!

You have finally said Mamma!! YYiipppee! More often than not you try to call me Abha, but I refuse to acknowledge till you say Mamma. You started off damn cute going Mmmmmmm... Maammmaa! Sheer melody, I tell ya. Other favourite words are Gadda said as GGggg addaa! And Dabba which you insisted on called Badda to start with and now go chanting DabbaDabbaDabbaDabba till something else catches your fancy.

Bhoo, Baby aur Cubby!

You have found one animal sound worthy of registering in your brains. Bhoo for dog! Cat says Miaow and Cow goes Mooo and all that is simply not interesting enough. Add to that Bhoos are easy to find and we like to go and say Heylo Bhoo (through Mommy) to every dog who crosses our path. You also played with a fairly large and black bhoo at our friends' place and scared him completely. You and their 9month old Eka, terrorised him totally.

This also reminds me that I should tell you that your behaviour with smaller Eka was completely unacceptable. You were behaving like a baby! Snatching whatever toy he took and fighting over a teeny weeny rattle for chrissakes. I was completely appalled and am gonna make sure you share stuff little more happily. Ok?!

Tapli Ted - Tap his head and he sings!

You can put a cling film to shame these days. When you cling, you really CLING. It's impossible to even move out of your sight when you are in one of those moods. You have also understood about mommy-papa going to work and waaiilll when we leave. But this too shall pass.

High on FUN!

You can give Energizer Bunny a serious complex with your hyper activity. We sometimes get tired seeing you walk and talk incessantly. And if it is a kiddy party we have gone for, god save us. You go crazy playing or trying to play with kids your age, smaller or bigger. You scream and you cheer. You are simply a DELIGHT to look at during such times. Then we think you are so tired, you will sleep before you know, but Hah! is all you say. These days we just sleep off and let you wind down and sleep off on your own after such parties.

sometimes i try to relax too!

On other days, I love the way you come and find the exact comfortable spot next to me or with your head on my arm, you curl up against me and go to sleep with my singing or just patting. It always leaves a warm glow and an intense desire to crush you in a tiigghhhtt hug! :)

and you thought MY curly mop was wild!

You love making friends with strangers. Wherever we go, you move towards someone with cutest of the smiles and a hand outstretched which somehow never turns into a 'shake hand" eventually. Go to a restaurant and you try and make friends with all the diners and waiters, one of whom will pick you up depending on how busy they are. We never ask them to, they just want to and we are cool with it as long as you are not being bothersome.

Movie watching is NOT so easy anymore, though your mamma has become an expert at watching movies sitting on the steps from where she can bolt towards exit if you start crying. You try to make conversation with person sitting next to us and thankfully till date they have been indulgent. Of course you are still not a nuisance and I refuse to sit in the theatre and let you wail ruining other people's experience in any case. I just wish they sell cheaper tickets for parents who sit in the aisle and watch movies. But it's fun to see you walk around before the movie and errr... during it too. And the way you insist on dancing to songs. Its all fun and we are sure to continue doing as much as possible.

soon, it will be other way round?! Already?!

All in all, you are growing a little more everyday and your Papa has been saying "Don't grow up so fast!" with a sad face these days. Me, I get thrilled and strangely emotional in turns seeing you become a l'il guy! :)

Here's to an equally eventful month ahead and take person on your parents and start eating like a really goood boy! Deal?!

(why do I hear evil laughter?!)

Sigh!

Love you anyway. Big hugs and kisses to NOT so l'il CubbyR!