because we dont like sour grapes...

Cubby laughing at "Tolly! The Grapes!" as i try to feed him some warm milks after getting wet in the rains at Horsley hills! :)



or not so happy endings!


I wrote about Cub's favourite books coupla posts ago. The reason we also end up buying lots of books apart from an obvious love for them is his parents' complete inability to use imagination and create new stories. M is marginally better, but couldn't bother too much. Cub also is a slave of routine and has his own favs and would not be talked into listening to something new till you beg him to.


Now my Dad can make up stories about everything under the sun! So for a few days after he left Cub made random demands about stories about an omelet or a shoe or whatever else that came to his mind! He soon realized that his parents are not as gifted as his Ajoba and settled for ghisa-pita stories that we churned out for him.


That said he is a story freak and blackmails us into telling him one or more to get anything and everything done from him. So if he is to eat his food, we need to tell him story. Ditto if we are to get his inhalation done. Needless to say the activity undertaken lasts for as long as the story does and we need extend / modify the standard stories to suit the expected duration of the said activity.


One of his favourite modified stories is the Fox and the Grapes. He was quite disappointed with the fox walking away saying "the grapes are sour" when he could not reach them after a lot of effort. He said Nahhii much in filmi fashion and I had to change it quickly so that we indeed reached a happy ending, moral be damned! :p


So in our version the Fox firstly does a happy dance when he finds an entire garden of grapes. It has green, red and black varieties. He tries jumping and reaching the said grapes with no luck. But fox being a clever animal, goes home and gets a stool. He still cannot reach the grapes. So he realizes he needs something taller and rushes home to get a ladder and still falls a wee bit short. Now he is very disappointed and worried. Suddenly he has an idea!


He rushes from the garden and huffing and puffing reaches his friend's house. Tolly - the giraffe! (Name flicked from Toot). He is breathless and says "Tolly! Tolly! The Grapes!" Tolly a l'il confused says "I am NOT Tolly the grapes. I am Tolly the Giraffe!". (This part brings a whole lot of chuckles from the child). The same is repeated when the Fox says "Tolly! The garden!"


Soon enough the fox is able to catch his breath and manages to tell Tolly how he has found a garden full of grapes, how he cannot reach the grapes and if he will help him pluck them. Tolly readily agrees. Fox is now thrilled and happily point to grapes he wants which Tolly obligingly plucks and gives him.


When he has had enough he tells Tolly also try some. Tolly makes a face and says "main grapes vapes nahi khaaata. I eat only leaves and grass!" The fox tells him there is no harm in trying it once and he can always refuse next time if he does not like them. Tolly agrees and takes a few and quite likes them.


They both then take some for their families also and happily run home.


story khatam! :D


Then there is the Hungry Crow and the Thirsty Crow, in both of which the crow goes to least 10 homes including our own, friends' and relatives' asking for either chapati or water (depending on whether he is the bhooka or pyaasa Kauaa). If he is asking for Chapati, all the folks give him something to drink. The kauaa then slaps his forehead with his wing and says "Arre! I am the hungry crow, not the thirsty crow! I want something to eat!" Of course it goes vice versa when it comes to the Thirsty Crow and he gets offered something to eat in all the homes! :p


I heard M extend the Monkey and the Crocodile story yesterday and I am sure there are more modifications in store for us!


:)

a BIDWF and a tag!

just a quick BIDWF moment with the junior jain! :)


Cub turns 3 next month and this time we plan to have a big pahty with everyone we know and care about being there. Past two years we have had quieter affairs and haven't done anything in Bangalore, ever!


So, yesterday on our car ride to a restaurant I asked him "Cub, what cake do you want? An aeroplane? or nemo? Mowgli? Baloo? Sully?" and all the other animated characters he likes. He listens to me for sometime and then says "Nahi! Mujhe sirf chocolate cake chahiye!"


Both M and me burst out laughing and told him that cake will be chocolate only with whatever picture he wants on it! :)


and tonight he asked his father when he was changing him into night suit"I am looking cute, naah?!" HUH?!


Best bud Momo's ma tagged me to talk about My Sins against the gender stereotype.


For the longest time I wanted to be a guy to get all the freedom guys do. I used to be a pucca tomboy and couldn't imagine a different life! But soon I knew i could be the girl i was and yet do what i wanted! Total win-win situation, eh?! :)


I am not into dressing up / make up. Yes, i like my lipstick, but thats it. I dont even know how to apply nail polish on my own! gah!


I have been riding a two wheeler since I was 16 and still LOVE it! Thanks to my Dad who refused to mollycoddle me, I even have a fair bit experience in pushing my two wheeler to the closest service station and getting it repaired! Ofcourse, I am yet to learn to drive and hope to some day!


Maybe because books available at home were my Dad's taste, i have not read a single mills and boons or danielle steele, but devoured the Robin Cooks, John Grishams, Dick Francis Arthur hailey and gang!


I started traveling on my own to Pune by train by the time I was 10 and was traveling by overnight buses to Kolhapur by 12 years.


I wore shorts in my teens much to chagrin of most of our neighbours! I still wear em and dont really care about the neighbours anymore! ;)


I worked super late hours and traveled by myself in trains and cabs.


In both my pregnancies, i managed / am managing my doc visits etc on my own without needing M to accompany me.


I got a tattoo done and did not scream in pain or shed a single tear! :p


I could not cook to save my life till I got married and now both us can churn out a decent meal! :)


I could not be the shy bride even if I wanted to and grinned throughout the ceremonies and later!


i LOVE Tarantino and Guy Ritchie movies including Kill Bill. Ofcos the change in taste happened post shaadi, but am glad for it. So now I can watch mush and dhishum dhishum with equal ease.


I have gotten off my bike to move huge stone in the middle of the road that was causing traffic jam while all men waited for god knows what and giggled when I did it. gah!


I have gone out with all guy gang of friends at 3am for cutting chai and bhurji pav and really miss those days.


and though we never had offcial proposal between us, it was me who initiated "lets be more than friends" with M and hounded him till he married me! I still cry buckets everytime i watch Friends episode where Monica proposes to Chandler. :)


When it comes to living up to the gender norms, I still havent tried learning the whole finance bit and i cry a lot! For good and bad stuff! :D Yet, right now I am comfortable in my skin and enjoying being me!


I think whole world has been tagged with this, so if there is someone who hasn't done it as yet, feel free! :)

we are same same but different!

was a terrible song from what I hear was a terrible film made by Nagesh Kukunoor of all people! But nopes, this post isn't about bad songs or bad movies or even the NK mentioned above whose previous movies I have loved!

G(a)R(l)AND welcome! The view and space just outside the balcony!

So we celebrated our 5th anniversary over last weekend and went to this gorgeous resort called Our Native Village which is pretty close to Nrityagram in an area called Hessarghatta. WE fell in love with the place the moment we saw smiling faces, were offered yummiest jal jeera I have had and stepped into our pretty sunlit room.

The Room! You can see how happy Cubby is! So were we! :D

The low bed on high stone block had Cubby happily jumping all over the place. The wall behind had a beautiful painting and the orange "curtains" made outta mats just added to the feel. The Balcony opened to vast amounts of green and the stone structure that was our room was naturally cool and didn't need AC which they anyway don't have. TV and AC are two modern amenities that this "eco resort" doesn't offer and you don't miss it at all.

The bookshelf in the dining hall! Cubby was fascinated with a lion and the Ferris wheel!

The airy dining hall has a book shelf full of well thumbed books and some broken wooden toys that kept Cubby occupied every time we were having a meal. And yes, the food was delicious enough for us to spend long time at our table! :) What followed such a hearty meal was what you see below;

a much needed siesta! :)

So that we wake up fresh to see, do and enjoy all that there is!



Gawking at the turkey! It was huge and strutted around making weird sounds!

There were turkeys, roosters and hens to run after or just gawk at because I for one had never seen an asli turkey! There were the owners' dogs and their absolutely adorable puppies! So totally cute that even Cubby who is usually guarded when around anything new was OK having them sniff at him and jump on him! :)

The gorgeous pond / pool! :)

They have a beautiful natural pool in form of a pond with lotus flowers and occasional toads to keep you company! Cubby had fun in the pool with his papa. Ofcos his ego kept coming up every now and then when he realized he isn't supposed to enjoy all this after having said "nahi jaana hai" pretty vehemently. So rona dhona in between laughter kept happening! :)

Getting our hands dirty! The guy Umesh did most of the work but we did get two pots back! :)

You can indulge in all that rustic life entails. Starting from milking a cow (we were quite content just watching, thank you!) to getting your hands dirty as you try your hand at pottery! They also offer kite flying and gilli danda if thats what fancies you! We did the bullock cart ride and though it was nice to know what it feels like by end of it it just didn't seem fair to use it as a joyride.

Mom and son by the small pond while Father got his massage!

There is a spa as well and though not as fancy or spic n span as some of the newer ones (this one has oil on its floor etc), the person offering the massage was awesome. M got a full body massage and came out maha refreshed! Since they didn't have a female masseuse that day, I had to make do with a foot massage the next day which was quite nice too!

The view that greeted us next day morning! A flock of cranes! :)



I dunno why but i LOVE this picture! :)

The room rents are a tad steep but it is totally worth it. Only slight discomfort is the number of flies flitting around because they dont use any chemicals etc, but somehow you dont notice it much! Almost not at all! :)

Anyhoo, we casually mentioned it to the owner that we have come to celebrate our anniversary. Imagine our surprise when we were told that they have arranged a candle light dinner for us by the pool side! When we went back to the room post dinner is when the post with this title started happening in my head! Have a look and tell me what you think! ;)

Our bed decorated with flowers at ONV! we giggled like l'il kids!

This is why! The bed on our honeymoon in Himachal Pradesh! :D

sitting on the khatiya around the bonfire with tired Cub!

The Bonfire!

Us in front of the fireplace in our room during honeymoon! :p

Us at the bonfire at a lovely hotel in Thanedar!

Us holding hands at restaurant in Parwanoo in Himachal!

Holding hands over a romantic candle light dinner at ONV! :p

Me, the new bride at the hotel table during honeymoon!

Me, 5 years later, with Cubby next to us as we are about to start the dinner! :)

Yup that's him on the khatiya in the passage! :D We were meant to have a peaceful dinner! We just made a request to the hotel guys and within minutes a comfy bed for the sleeping Cub was ready! :)

Me making funny faces at mall road in Shimla because M kept insisting on some pose!

Me making funny faces at Nrityagram because M kept insisting on some pose!

Us taking random picture in Shimla!

Us, getting a random picture taken at Taj Kuteeram!

Isn't it all too similar? That's why the title!

So does this qualify as second honeymoon?! hehe!

celebrating 5 years and going on 11th! :)

I am a firm believer of Karma and partly destiny too. No, I have never discounted hard work because many a chances get squandered because we keep waiting for things to happen on their own.


So for me the fact that I met M is Karma (good one at that) and the time it took me to convince him that we are good together is the hard work I put in! :)


And as we complete 5 years of being happily married and 11 years of knowing each other I must count my blessings and tell M just how much I love him and how lucky I feel to have HIM by my side.


Of course we have had fights. Some of them have been nasty too. But through it all what is comforting is that we have known how important both of us are to each other. WE have always known that the good times have been a constant rather than being an occasional thing. We know each others' strengths and try not to play on the weaknesses when we have a fight.


M is definitely the better half between the two of us. Both of us come from fairly different backgrounds and the fact that he accepted the change much faster and a lot more gracefully than I did says a lot about him. For that I can never been thankful enough.


Past 5 years have been a joyride and I have loved every moment. Be it the late dinners because we were both learning to cook or the bike rides in rain and sunshine. The movie watching spree when we watched just about any and every movie that released ( karam and Naina anyone?) or the trips to Majestic to buy pirated DVDs when we finally bought a TV after a year of shaadi. The discovering of new restaurants and your uncomplaining company to all the exhibitions that happened in the city. The small barsaati we lived in to the current house we should be getting out of but don't want to! The times when stuff was bought only after we needed it and had the dough for and the occasional faaltu kharcha we can afford to do now. The fact that we are genuinely fond of each others' parents and more often than not how my relatives call you and yours call me when they need something or just for a chat! :) The time we finally bought the second hand Maruti and went on our first long drive with Papa guiding you to now taking Cubby in it just about everywhere. The pregnancy where you were a rock solid support and to see you being the awesome father I always knew you would be. The lavish praise you heap on me even in public laughing away the Joru ka Gulaam tag and just how much faith you have in whatever I do. I feel lost without you even with my own friends and family.


For all this and many more intangibles I Love You! Don't ever leave my side! And don't lose that sense of humour and the smile! :)


happy 5th darling pati M! :)


and here's some random wedding day etc photos! :) I know I made a gorgeous bride (there are no NOT gorgeous brides according to me!) and M still whines about how he wants THAT biwi back! hehe! But me in lenses and make up is only a dream as of now! ;)

The ONLY shy dulhan pic of me! On wedding eve! :)

Maine jeevan ki dor se tujhe baandh liya hai! Corny? yes! True? YES! :)

Nope! No kissing the bride in Maharashtrian weddings! Just some Chinese whispers! :)

The wedding day. I never really stopped smiling since! :)

"Kaan pili" where the brother warns the groom to betta take care of his sister!


M acted the part well and yes, the brothers let go of the ear only after they are given a gift! :) Nothing like good ol' threat of corporal punishment! Hehe!

A photo op among many others! :)

The garlands being exchanged! :) Yeah, I was ANYTHING but shy and nervous! ;)

Find our faces between the flowers! hehe!

The homecoming! :)


I had to kiss all his thirteen cousins and give them a gift to be let in! :) And the fun was just beginning! Can you imagine I forgot to call my folks and tell them i reached ok! gah!

Lord Of the Rings! :)


I think we did like hazaar extra rounds to make M win, but i still won! Woohoo! :)

A LOT of dancing happened!

A LOT of smiling happened! :)

Till we were too tired to do either!

Uske baad kya hua is for me to know and you to guess! ;)


Here's to many more M! :)

Chin! Chin!

Much love and hugs and kisses!

and yes Thank You! :)

of terrible and terrific Twos!

Last month, on 20th July 2009, my darling son, you turned 2! It is quite unbelievable! You know how we always say that time flies, did you feel it too? Did you notice how you changed from a wee l'il cell to a fetus to a wrinkly raisin looking creature who then turned into a kid with charming smile and expressive eyes to this naughty boy who speaks endlessly and keep jumping off walls all the time?


I cannot claim to remember every l'il thing you have said and done, but I can definitely say that having you around has been a life altering experience in every sense of the term. Sometimes I feel it has been too easy and at others it seems like a miracle that we have come this far without disowning each other.

Warning - a looong and nostalgic post ahead!


Year 1

I mean for most mommies going back to work is a huge challenge, but you made it a breeze for me. You almost never cried and your cheerful bye (with see you soon now added) when we leave for work makes it very easy to not worry and feel guilty. These days you might also wanna give an Uggie before you push me saying "Jao! Hemmet Pehno!"


You achieved your physical milestones slightly slower because of hypotonia (loose muscle tone). When the doc said that and i googled it was distraught. But the Doc assured us that all was okie and that for you it was a mild form of it. Do you remember your first fall l'il guy? It happened when Papa wasn't in town and Amma made sure she complained about that to him when he got back. She thought i would not have told him! ;) The first fall was just the beginning and for the longest time your forehead had bumps all the time. We had become masters of not making deal of your falls and you seemed to not react to it most of the times after a point. Cut to present and you come to saying "Chottu laga. Theek kan do" and then go back to whatever you were doing pretty quick. If its a nasty fall then carrying you for a while and distracting you helps.


And remember the first time you stood up? You were l'il more than nine months. I can still remember the look of sheer pride in your eyes because you knew you had achieved something special and then the bawling following it because you couldn't figure out how to sit once you stood up. Now you can stand in the balcony for hours looking at life go by. You have all your meals that way. You can now stand on your toes and see things on the kitchen platform and ask for things! :)


You did your first long train trip to Kolhapur around the same time and by the 10th month you were slowly but steadily developing a personality of your own!


I used the time flies phrase the first time in 11th month. By then you were fairly mobile even walking with the support of a walker and ofcos trying to put everything you see in your mouth. You were so much more responsive and it was just fun to see you in action! This was also the time your Daadu and you started your mutual admiration club! :)


Then just like that one day, rather on 20th July, you turned ONE! I mean we stopped counting your age in months after that. We celebrated your birthday with just your grandparents at Yelagiri and it was a lot of fun. This was also the time we gave you a hair cut and man it was painless and fun! Now we have started taking you to a salon and you scream and cry as if you are going through Chinese torture. But you look darn cute post the haircut! :D


Year Two


13 months was when you took your first steps! :D a HUGE milestone achieved much earlier than 18 months the doc pegged it at. This was the month when you started showing us your stubborn streak and eating troubles had started. You also discovered the joys of your l'il tub and the clingy phase had officially begun! You had started appreciating applause and would expect it for every achievement. That has not changed till date. The only difference being that now you applaud others too. Good thing to do that kid! :) This was the month we went to Lalbagh and Cubbon park and noticed just how much you enjoyed going out and wide open spaces! :)


Month fourteen had you practicing your walking skills and improved mobility was making life a wee bit difficult! You had also discovered your love for socks and yes you finally said Mamma. Cut to today when you can walk long distances quite easily! As for calling me Mamma, it can range from anything from that to Mummy to mamyao! :D


The hemmet obsession started in month 15! You also took your first sips of water from glass during this time. Your vocabulary was increasing and so was your understanding about the stuff and you could now figure out your toys by their names. Your smile also seemed to have gotten cuter this month! :) You also went to Goa in this month and had a rollicking time with Pannu bhaiyya!


16 months was when we started indulging in child labour in all our earnestness! You had started putting bartans in the sink and clothes in the wash basket and your toys in the box. It was in this month that we saw beginnings of tantrums too and new words being said every single day. All very exciting! :)


You had started climbing up steps in month 17 and now can confidently go up and down the three floors to our ghar. This was also the time you kept surprising us with your observation and association of sounds with objects. You developed a stranger anxiety after being a kid who went to everyone with open arms! We also got your mundan done and i still hate it because your lovely curly locks are gone foreva!


Two major happenings in 18th month - restarting of potty traing and your love for dark chocolates! :D Plus the talking had become l'il more constant and your five senses were falling into place. Garam or Teekha was heard often. We also went to Pune and Mumbai and you had so much fun with your grand parents and Mama who had come all the way from US! :)


The month of "what this is?" was the 19th month. The question was asked endlessly. We realized how much you love routines and how much you love playing with bartans rather than toys! :p You were also running all over the place and enjoying Jumping! First trip to zoo happened and man you LOVED it.


20th month meant some more talking and more walking and more of everything including tantrums and feeding troubles! You had also started becoming the walking instruction manual and the BIG thing was you were potty trained for the day! Yayy!!


21st month was the month you tried to be independent - be it trying to take off you clothes and footwear or wanting your own seat in theatres and aeopanes! You love airports and physical masti in all forms. The rougher it is, more fun it is for you. You also became a painfully whiny kid around this time, but mostly you were fun! :D


I did a combined post for 22nd and 23rd month with BIDWF moments thrown in between every now and then. These months you proved yourself to be a a good citizen by insisting on throwing all the kachra in the dustbins wherever we went! :D How can i forget, you started school and seem to be totally loving it! You also zapped is by walking 3kms at mysore zoo without a whimper or demand for Godi! You now love colouring and keep bringing noosepepa and cayons to do your artwork! :D


And now when I look at you, you are all these things and then some more. You are cute and cuddly, stubborn and annoying, charming and fun, whiny and clingy, funny and smart, loving and caring, sweet and spicy. You have quite a temper but then you temper (notice the smart pun please!) with enough love and understanding for us to not notice it too much! You are helpful and sensitive. Your hugs are so warm and genuine that it melts our hearts. Your smile is sometimes fake and some times real and at all times very very adorable! :) You are quiet at school and get bullied easily but there are also times when you show that you already have the thing to be the bigger person, to give even when the other person does not respond. You chatter incessantly and to watch you play by yourself while making up your own stories makes us realize you are not the l'il baby anymore.


May your imagination let you soar to wherever your mind wants to go...
May your smiles and laughter light up our lives every single day...
May your naughty eyes keep shining forever...
May the music of your soul let you dance with or without two left feet...
May each day bring new joys and discoveries...
May each friend make you feel special...
May you become a kind soul who enriches the lives of others...
May you learn to take care of your and other peoples aggression...


And Papa's and your prayer should be your mantra in life. Just in case you forget here's how it goes "Bhagwaanji, mujhe buddhi do, samajh do taaki main accha insaan ban sakoon. Taaki main sab ki madat kar sakoon aur mere saath bhi sab accha ho. I love you bhagwaanji!"


We love you lots sweetheart! You are the sunshine of our lives! Hugs and kisses!


Ps: If there is anyone who has been enjoying Cubby's antics and not said hey, pls to delurk and give your blessings to the l'il guy! :)

The "Cool" Quotient!

First it was Suma and then Art who tagged me tell you all whats on my fridge who by nature is indeed a magnetic personality et al. My fridge aint pretty like both these ladies. But I have some stuff I quite like!

While on the fridge, might as well get done with the nostalgia factor of it. When we got married, M was staying a teeny one room kitchen house with not even a gas stove in place. We got that as soon as we moved to Bangalore post honeymoon, but there was no fridge or washing machine which are so de facto these days. Considering the huge size of our house and the princely salaries we both earned, there was no question of buying one.

And then, our landlord offered us an old fridge and an ancient washing machine. This was meant to be shared by our neighbours who were a pair of bachelors and were very good pals of M. Soon we were like one big happy family and we decided that it would be better to have fridge n machine at their place and thats what we did. We shared the electricity bill with them and kept using both the things as and when we needed. It often happened that we would keep leftovers in the fridge, thinking we can eat them in a day or to and would find out it all been eaten up by the kids! :)

We bought a fridge an year later when we moved to this bigger house where we currently are and first magnets came when M's bro gifted us a couple of photo magnets! :) They are still there and still the favourites!

Then just a few more got added and here go the pictures! :)

The first view! The top of our fridge is also loaded! :p The horse / giraffe looking thing belongs to my MILs and was supposed to be some ancient spoon holder! :)

The top left corner and the one diagonally opposite are the photo magnets gifted by the BIL and SIL. Right side top shows that we have a Simpson's fan in the house. It Bart Simpson saying IAY CARUMBA! The bottom left has balloons that were a part of a greeting card we bought for someone. So I flicked this and sent rest of the card! :p I love how bright they look and the colour scheme goes with rest of the stuff! And two in the centre are one that M got from US and another of Roma that his cousin got from well, Rome! :)

Thats the top of the fridge. Those are Halloween things M had picked on one of his US trips. And the grey thing behind is stabilizer which has that cute showpiece gifted by M's cousins when we had visited Delhi! They weren't even earning then and bought it from their pocket money and thats why is even more special! :)

The photo frame says San Francisco, but the picture is of sadda Taj Mahal. This was taken during our trip in 2007, a week after we had found out that I was pregnant! :) The miniature of Leaning Tower of Pisa was gifted to us by M's mausi who did Europe trip recently. Our Amma broke one part of it! :(

And the piece de resistance! The magnet at the center? This is what it says. I love it totally. It's just so true and I gave M an extra hug for just how cool he is! :)

So this is what my fridge says! :)

I tag Usha, Mamma-Mia, Dee and Swati. Tell us the cool quotient of your fridge! :)

Jeevachi Mumbai!

Bombay holds a charm almost no other city in India can even dream of. Even recent terror attacks notwithstanding. I remember so many of M's relatives came for our wedding because it gave them a chance to visit Bombay. Having lived there almost all my life, meant we take most of the things for granted.

This time when we visited Cubby, we wanted to show him all the things that were special to us and otherwise. With not too much time on hand we managed just bit of South Bombay and Juhu Beach. Cubby had a brilliant time and though I don't know how much of it he will actually remember, I was happy to be there with him. Doing the boat ride at Gateway that I did as a kid, shopping at Colaba which was a much looked forward thing in college and working life, Marine Drive where friendship and courtship happened and ditto for Juhu Beach. I was amazed at how familiar it all felt and what fun it can still be especially when you look at with the wonderment in your baby's eyes! :) I loved pigging out on Pav-Bhaji and Bhel Puri at the beach!

Also when I gave birth to Cubby, there was a flurry of excitement in my building. They all knew and loved my family and me, and now they had welcomed Cubby with open arms and love I cannot even imagine. After that everytime Mayunk went there the kids would ask "Cubby kab aayega?". This time when Cubby reached there he was smothered with their affection for him. Kids aged between 2 - 10 kept him entertained and enthralled. They generously shared their toys with him, tried to include him in their grown up games and generally tired him out every single day! :) It was also very humbling to see Cubby play in the terrace I used to as a kid and I couldn't help but count my blessings.

The grandparents ofcos went absolutely ballistic! NOTHING can make them happier than their grandchild. You might have won a Nobel Prize, but for them the grandchild is the biggest achievement ever. Its like seeing the completion of circle of life, I guess. My mom kept talking to him, playing with him and enjoying every bit of his antics. My dad became a champ at putting him to sleep as he showed him crows and kabootars from the balcony. Their love is so intense and beautiful... it's a treat to experience it! :)

The icing on the cake? My brother made it from the US. He gave the parents a shock by knocking on the door at 330am. Only M and me knew he was gonna make a trip. The timing was so perfect. Cubby got to know his Mama better and can now recognize him from photos! :) It was so much fun seeing them together and the brother is pretty good with kids. The family was complete in every sense of the term! :) Thanks for making it dude!

I will let pictures do rest of the talking!

Gorgeous South Bombay

The kid was totally obsessed with his "Baoon"! At Gateway of India


At Gateway with Bro n me. Don't forget to notice the Baoon! :p

In the boat that takes a round at Gateway. Don't you love it when lights play such lovely tricks?!

Mommy itta saara paani!. Cubby thrilled with the new experience.

taking a break and snacking at ever gorgeous Marine Drive.

Christmas Party and Kids!

L'il Santa on Christmas Day! His "Aaji" got the costume et al.

Kids enjoying the food at the Christmas Party.


Santa refused the beard ofcos. But tried to put on the cap himself!

Enjoying the attention and the fun!

Stop taking pictures. When is a kid supposed to play?!

Even Goa wasn't this much fun! Juhu Beach!

Getting the feel of the beach walking with Mom and Aaji

Wanna bet WHO is the asli monkey?! :p


Gaadi! Gaadi! was the chant as Cubby enjoyed his first amusement ride!

Ofcos I asked if he was sure he wont make me get off due to excess weight! There's lil Cubby on the seat too!

With his Papa who was mostly the official photographer!

New word learnt and object liked that evening?! Tooppee! :)

The phamily Photo! And yes, a baoon was obviously bought here as well! :p

The Phive Star Experience

Cubby being serenaded with Twinkle Twinkle!

He lost interest pretty quickly after being totally fascinated initially!

The Grandparents (??) who give parents run for their money when it comes to looking young and their enthu and energy levels!

With Mama, wearing the Tee he got from his Univ.

Random Notes

The couple cooking up a mean chinese lunch with errr... Knorr Make - a - Meal!

Playing it rough and laughing away with his Aaji!

It was such a beautiful n perfect trip! Hope we can do it soon again. Make some more amazing, remake old connections and forge new bonds! :)