Mama-Mia - Proud Mommy to the Cub and Bub: puja

I already did the Mumbai trip update, but before that we went to Pune to Cubby's Dadu n Daadi's place and what fun it was!

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!