So Cubby is NOT so L'il Cubby now! :)

Its been over two years since I have this blog and have tried faithfully to keep a memoir (i love this word! makes our life sound very fancy!) of our life with Cubby. But even as I look back at old posts and can say this was the month Cubby first walked and this when he first talked, how much he has grown up still comes to us as a surprise every now and then. :)


I guess thats what makes this whole parenting gig so exciting. There are always bits and pieces apart from the big moments that make you think yet again what an amazing experience all this has been and continues to be! :)


So what makes me wonder about all this suddenly?! Our baby has grown up yet again and bowled us over with just how much! :)


M was supposed to go to Bombay for some work for 3 days. My brother and Cubby's Kuns Mama who had recently visited us was also going to be there and the said day was his birthday. Somewhere the idea took germ that perhaps M can take Cubby along with him. We mentioned it casually to my folks (more like thinking aloud), but then the grandparents wouldn't have anyway else. We kept getting calls every few days asking us whether we had booked his ticket already! (Terrible twos get worse when we have to pay the FULL fare to airlines because they allow, no, make it insist, on a separate seat for the diaper clad butt!)


So it was decided that Cubby would indeed go with his Papa and stay with his grandparents while M went out for his work during the day. This was the first time Cubby was going to travel supervised by just one parent and would have lots of time without even that parent being around him.


Aaji - Ajoba were all gung-ho and enthu and told us they will manage fine. If they say so who are we to question it?! :p

carrying his own bag with airline tag! :)

carrying a bag of candies bought at the airport!

D Day arrived and the father and the child left for airport by 730 in the morning. The kid was carrying his own small school bag which had an extra set of clothes, diapers and books! :) Terrible mother that I am, I totally forgot to pack any food for him. Not even cheese slice and bananas which are a standard fixtures. Not even something he can suck on during take off and landing to avoid ear pain. That is why the mehenga candies were bought at airport and I haven't heard the end of it from M esp 'coz Cubby ate just ate ONE of them! :p From what M told me he chattered non-stop on his way to the airport and through the flight and then the cab ride home in Bombay! :)

With Gauri Tai and Atho Dada on the etrrace where his Mom played! :)

He did cling to M a bit on day they reached but familiarity with Mama helped and by evening when he had met the adorable Gauri Tai and Atharva Dada it was like he has lived in that house forever! :)

Getting the first piece of Mama's birthday cake as guest of honour! :p

Next day, M left home by 9am. As is our habit he told Cubby that he will be going to office and that he is to have fun with folks at home and that his Papa will be back in the evening. So he said bye to M and got busy with his day! :) When i called him prompted by his Aaji he told me "Maine gulabjam khaaya, teeth saaf kiya, potty kiya" and then ran off to do whatever it is he was doing. He did recognize my voice easily and had a smile on his face he spoke to me! :)

Considering I don't eat anything I even fit in a bucket! :p

The father who rushed back to an empty house (Cubby had gone to gateway of India with folks) and was missing him terribly. His already broken heart was to be shattered when after coming back home Cubby just said a casual Heylo and ran off to play with his friends! :)

With Kuns mama at Gateway of India! :)

In the boat! :)

With the awesome aaji - ajoba who don't look like grandparents! :)

The only thing M had to do for him then was feed him and make him wear his night suit. Today is his day 3 there and my mom called me in the morning saying 3 kids were trying to dress Cubby up post bath and the Cub was enjoying the attention and pampering! :)


It is needless to mention that I (his mother) was not mentioned or asked for even once! Even when I called he was too busy to talk to me! Somehow I never thought this whole gig would be so easy! :)


Hats off to my folks. Am sure it was their pure and unadulterated love and child like excitement on having him over that made it so comfy for the Cub.


And ofcos big hugs to the Husband M who agreed to this sudden and whimsical idea and made sure it was a complete success! :)


I look forward to packing off Cubby to his grandparents for longer duration during summer vacays! :p

Yes, I am not very maternal that way! ;)


But that does not mean I am not terribly proud! :)


Edited to add - M's comment because its from the Horse's Caretaker's mouth and its too cute to not be added!

"I really can't remember the last time I saw him so happy. Since the moment we walked up the stairs in Dadar, he was at home. Once he saw the neighbor kids, he was obsessed. Soon he realized easy access to chocolates and gubabjamuns under nana-nani, and he was pampered!

Kuns called him "baby teenager" once. Now he is more so. He comes home late, wants to go back before his foot's in the door and hates it when we object to some of his more rowdy friends.

He's just too bleddy comfortable here. Considering it's his first time, it's just not right..."

sInCe YoU cAnT go NaKeD!

My dad used it till he couldn’t any longer.


My brother in law used it for special occasions where first impressions mattered.


My husband loves the feel of it.


Kabir still doesn’t have a clue about it!


I love it too! It’s actually my favourite thing to do!


Wearing clothes from Cotton World that is!! Gotcha! :D

Last year they had a Flat 50% sale at one of their outlets. I was so kicked at reading the ad that we reached the said Cosmos Mall in Bangalore (the store there has shut down) at an unearthly hour of 10am. (Hey that’s when the ad said they would open! Plus my pa-in-law’s flight was on time, so we reached kinda early after dropping him at the airport). They bhagaoed us saying it will open only by 1030. So after having a nice Masala Dosa and by 2 kaapi (shared with Kabir) we went again and this time the doors were indeed open!


After looking around in other shops we finally reached Cotton World Corp – CWC for all future references. This particular store is pretty small but well stocked with all the goodies that CWC has to offer. Their flagship store at Barton Centre, MG Road, Bangalore is bigger and the first ever one at Colaba, Mumbai is the best! : )


My relationship with CWC goes back a long way when one of my pals took me with her on her shopping expedition. I simply fell in love with their lovely soft fabric and the clean cuts which make their clothes look subtle and very classy. My first purchase of long sleeved formal blouse in a light blue became my standard dress code for interviews and fairly formal occasions. Soon, I picked up a shirt for my dad and then would be bro in law. Both of them really liked it and from then on it became a “can’t go wrong with it” gift! Of course you need to know the right size!


CWC as the name suggests makes mostly 100% cotton clothes and sometimes with a mix of linen or lycra. They have a range of western wear for men and women (no kids stuff introduced as yet least!).


Find really pretty and feminine blouses in flattering cuts with sizes going up to XL. There is also essential office western wear with full sleeves and stripes and smart no nonsense look without making it look like you are wearing your hubby’s shirt! Casually flirty skirts to the beige fitted ones in varying lengths that go with your office wear. Fresh coloured capris, shorts and hot pants in bright shades and formal trousers help you complete your wardrobe. The tees are quite nice too!


The men need not feel bad. Formal shirts with half and full sleeves in standard blue to if you dare mauve and peach colours find a place on their racks. Not all their shirts have pockets. So if you the kind who feels helpless without that shirt pocket check before you buy. (M still cant get over the lack of pockets on some of his CWC shirts!) It’s something you won’t notice when you really like a shirt! You will also find some kurtas in cotton and linen which are really nice to wear for your lazy weekend outing or a brunch or something. There are t-shirts as well but I haven’t been too happy with their quality. You can easily give them a miss.


The clothes are definitely not too expensive by today’s standards. A shirt will cost anywhere between 600 to 900 bucks and kurtas between 400 – 800rs. The ladies tops cost between 500 to 1000bucks and trousers go up to around 1k.


The material is just perfect and I have never had problems with colours running or fading. The cloth stays taut and you don’t lose the fit unless you shrink (lucky!) or stretch (me!). They are clothes for every occasion and you are sure to make great impression.


CWC has loyalty membership card which gives you 5% discount on your every purchase which I think is way better than getting some silly 1 point for every 100bucks spent! This discount is not valid during sale.


CWC today has 11 stores spread across Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkatta, Delhi, Gurgaon and Pune. And like their website says “Still doing what it's always done: crafting simple, classic garments from natural, comfortable, wonderful cotton.”


To find where the shop in you city is log on to www.cottonworldcorp.com


When you wish to beat the summer that’s turning on its heat, it’s obviously not an easy feat!

So slip into something natural, something comfortable and something fresh!

Step in to Cotton World.

It’s just another reason to revamp your wardrobe, this whole change of season! : )

Ps: excuse the bad rhymes!

pps: no they didnt pay for this! It's an old time write up for a product review site! So am just rehashing the old stuff!

ppps: Next set of Lucknow photos in next post! :D

not the kinda century I imagined!

Last evening we got out of the house clueless, hoping to have dinner and catch a movie. A friend called and movie got scrapped and we had a nice dinner instead. Got home by11, put Cubby to sleep and went off to sleep too to be woken up at 5am to a cat entering our house through the bathroom window. After we had shooed it away, I looked at my phone to see the time and my phone read 1 new message.

I read "heard about terrible attacks in Mumbai, trust everyone at home is ok." I showed it to M and he checked his phone to see similar sms from Papa. Since we don't have cable TV at home, we logged on to the internet and came across the goriest images and worst news we have read in a very long time.

Yet another terror attack on Mumbai. Not some bomb-blasts orchestrated by some militant group but actual people blazing guns in some of the biggest establishments and most popular areas and haunts in Mumbai.

After a long time, I cried reading the news and seeing the images. I have lived in Mumbai and seen the first blasts that rocked the city and over a period of time just got numbed in acceptance of the situation. The way shit happens, bomb-blasts and floods happen. WE laughed and sang our way home through waist deep water till even the water decided to kill.

And yet we kept saluting the spirit of Mumbaikar. What choice does he/she have but to go on living. Even my mother matter of factly said trains are running and she may go to work and we told her nothing doing. Stay put at home. But thats how we are now.

Yet this time, it's sending chills down my spine. Holding people hostages, indiscriminate shooting and killing of people by some who look 16years old and should be in school...

It's been over 12hrs and the situation is yet to come under control. Brave police officers and innocent civilans are still dying and I don't think I want to watch it live on TV. Relaity TV was NOT meant to be this, was it?!

This is not the time to come up with blanket generalizations and simplistic solutions like wiping out a race as a solution to these constant attacks.

Let us keep the faith in humanity. Like M said in his comment in my previous post "But overall, I guess it is better to trust and love in these belligerent times than to suspect everyone. Aage, sabki apni kismat..."

I cannot help but agree with him. I don't mean be careless and don't be vigilant, but please dont let your prejudices stop you from reaching the best in you.

This is my 100th post and I had requested M to do a guest post, but this isn't the time for it.

Instead I am linking his Brilliant post here. Maybe he can write the 101st for me.

Please pray for safety of the hostages and pray for the city that once never slept because there was so much camarderie and friendship around...

ten on ten! :D

NM tagged me to do this! And since i haven't posted in ages, this is just the kick start!

My only worry is I am VERY unambitious! so to even find these 10 things might be tough! but here i go anyway! :)

10 things I miss in my life right now

- Girls nights out (which also has to do with lack of girlfriends since i moved to Blr)
- Stay late at work (esp when M is traveling) and catch up with office gossip and have chicken and dosa at a sidey joint (its called kentAcky fried chicken!) for dinner before going home!
- Street side shopping that could be done daily in Mumbai. Especially the 5rs earrings and rings that you could buy in the trains! (it does save a lot of money NOT being able to do it!;) The streets of Colaba for junk jewelry and funky bags and churchgate for rows and rows of books.
- Vada pav! raste ki pav bhaji and thele ka chinis to chinees to any other spelt colourful food!
- Late night jaunts during Ganpati festival along with my childhood buddies to have bhurji and cutting chai after doing typical crepe paper decoration every single year!
- Exchanging looong mails with M. Sometimes 5 a day!
- Talking crap with my brother (he is studying in the US) and laughing like crazies at silliest of things much to the bewilderment of my parents!
- Practicing for plays and group dance for months together to perform at Ganeshotsav celebrated in our building.
- Spending time with my parents
- Being able to fit least in a L!

10 things I want to achieve in next decade

- Bungee jump - I HAVE to feel the thrill.
- Travel all over India, especially Rajasthan and North East.
- Get a REAL tattoo
- Have another baby! :p
- Lose weight - lots of it!
- Make some kind of career in writing even if part-time.
- Try using contact lenses yet again to let M see my pretty (??) eyes often.
- Try and finish reading War and Peace and The tailor of Panama.
- Learn one new and exciting cuisine
- Learn to speak Kannada well enough.

That's that then! I thought i could never reach 10! I kept counting after every two I think! hehe!

I pass this tag to

Swati
COS
Compulsive Dreamer
Emaan's Mom