I began my day today.. March 26, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in Little V.12 comments
..with lots of baby poop. If poopy tales make you uneasy, quit reading right now.
I was going about my usual umpteen morning tasks of getting ready, sterilizing baby bottles, preparing baby food, and getting baby clothes organised, besides getting the breakfast and lunch packed and ready for me and hubbie. ( I am trying not to start off on my rant with all this..). There was a time when Little V would wake up with the two of us and mornings meant doing all of the above and also keeping him occupied. Then there was a phase when Little V slept through most of our morning rush and we would wake him up just 15 minutes before we had to leave, get him ready and then finally leave for work. Since the past few days, little V has backtracked, he chooses to wake up the moment I am out of the bed and won’t go back to sleep. He would then need one of us by his side, to keep him entertained, so the two of us take turns in getting ready. This morning, I was just out of shower and wore one of my favorite clothes for work. Andd…while I was getting ready, I saw bits of poop sprouting out from the back of little V’s diaper. Greeny, squishy poop. I was combing my hair and thinking of what perfume to wear. And then I saw, little V fall backwards and splish splash a bit of poop on the bed, I couldn’t have stopped him with that bottle of perfume in my hand. And suddenly, Little V does his twist and turn on the bed and gets the poop lying on the bed on his tshirt near his right shoulder. Meanwhile hubbie walked out of the bathroom, smelling all fresh and clean and hair all fresh and spiky. I donned a nightie over my officewear (thats my tip for messy poop situations which have a knack of arriving the moment I am dressed in something nice) and you could mistake me for a doc at an operation. And an operation it was, poop cleaning operation! Hubbie and I got down to the task. The poop on Little V’s shirt fell to hubbie’s clothes and since hubbie was the one who carried Little V to the basin, his fingers looked like he had dipped them in mustard sauce. I got down to the task of cleaning the baby, and there was bits of poop all over the white basin and just everywhere. I decided to give Little V a bath which he really enjoys now. At the end of it, I had a fresh bedcover, neatly laid out and a baby smelling so yummy, wearing a white tshirt and white pyjamas, giving him the perfect baby look and while I was combing his hair, I had forgotten all about office. And right now I can smell something…mustardy…about…my perfume..sssssshhhhhhhhh!
( I knew you wont resist reading the entire post, now don’t blame me for it, I warned you!)
No to Nano March 24, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in my country, this is me.4 comments
The wonder small car was launched yesterday. The Nano that unleashes a small car revolution of the Maruti 800 variety. It will now become every family’s first car. Indian dreams of owning a car of the two most sought after luxuries of ‘ghar aur gaadi’ will be realised. While I am all for power to the Indian and the revolutionary $2000 car, that the US media calls it, I shudder to think what will become of the already over strained road network of our country. Traffic will worsen as all the bikers will switch to Nano and the already swelling upper class will not think twice before owning another car. Our government is doing very little to ensure that this car doesn’t end up making driving on roads a nightmare. The government should (a) Restrict Nano’s use to only city driving (ie local driving) (b) Ban the Nano from all metros (c) Begin to tax heavily the luxury segment cars (some very rich class, won’t mind paying another lakh or 2 to get the car of their desire) (d) Use this money to improve the transport system.
As of now, I am saying No to the Nano. What about you?
She.. March 22, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in this is me.11 comments
She never held me in her arms, She never fed me.
She never thought of doing up my hair, And she had no desires for me.
She never answered when I called out for her. For school she never dressed me.
Nor did she pack my favorite lunch boxes. Never did she wait for me late evenings.
I had no sarees I could think of borrowing one day.
We had no girlfriend talks to share. I always wept when I was sad and wondered if she would care.
I had her eyes and her stare. But I thought how would it be if she was here.
She never guessed college romances that I wish I could share.
Career choices were never debated, I wonder how she rated the men I dated.
What would she pick for me for my wedding? Would she give me the kundan I eyed?
What would she say when she saw me as a bride?
Would she know of my pain, when I became her? Would she take pride in how I braved it?
He says, I do not know how women are, since I never had her.
Will she ever answer that?
I speculate whether she will relate, how I never knew(and never will) of what it is to have her.
Will she see the way I wept…
and that there are days I miss her bad.
To my Mum, whom I never had. Miss you.
work from home March 20, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in at work, life's like that, random thoughts, this is me.4 comments
I choose to work from home today. It happens to be one of the perks of my new role. Besides the money, it’s the only other attractive thing. Oh yes! I also have a very inspiring lady for a boss. The ms. I-can-do-all-look good-have kids-manage them well sort of an efficient corporate honcho! Little V found out something unusual in the day today, so he is particularly clingy and crying easily for the smallest thing and demanding 100% attention. We have both been sitting in the living room since morning on the carpet, me hastily checking my emails on my pc and little V safely seated on 2 thick blankets (he sometimes falls backwards) with toys scattered all around us. The day went well, I got enough work done. I got to play with Little V for some extra time and fed him all his meals myself. Sneaked in some time to make a new dish for him. Spoke with two friends over the phone. Had fewer cups of tea and gulped lesser food than I do when I am stressed out at work.
So this thought came to my mind (i usually dilly dally on how comfortable this working mommy bit is, so don’t be surprised to hear from me totally tangent views at some other time). Aren’t working mums, living in a nuclear family, the most efficient bunch of people around? They never indulge in rotten office gossip. They do not want to spend extra time in office just to show off hard work. They don’t lick their boss’s feet. They are quick to respond to emails and answer phone calls at the first. Not only do they manage the office work, they are also running a household and managing baby meals, not being able to afford any showdowns in the week. They have their washing, cupboard cleaning, friends visits and weekends neatly planned out. They are ambitious but not running after that extra promotion, that additional raise, they won’t bend their standards to get there. But alas! they are also the most stressed out of the lot sometimes…me thinks.
my baby is 9 months March 16, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in Little V, baby food, life's like that.7 comments
Dear Son,
Where did all the time fly and you are already 9 months today. The teeny weeny squiggly little bundle of joy we brought home. The one who changed our lives completely and so beautifully. Every morning there is a little mr chubby cheeks besides me to hug and to kiss and to cuddle. I am enjoying every bit of this mommyhood business…heck! what was I before you sonny!
This has clearly been your milestones quarter. You can roll around all over the bed leaving every thing turned and dragging along the bedsheet with you. The bed sheet was pretty attractive for you for its floral and geometric prints until you found out that there’s a mattress hidden underneath and if you try a little harder, its easy to drag yourself around with help from the bedsheet and at the same time exposing and enjoying the dull looking mattress. You can scream out a ‘i want it right now’ kind of cry to get the object of your desire – your favorites being - the barnyard carousel, the telephone landlineinstrument and paper. Coming to paper, this one thing holds your attention from as early as may be 4 months until now. The smallest piece to the newspaper, they are your calling. You wouldn’t trade them for anything. Though you simply tear them off mercilessly, I think its the sound an edition of ‘Mint’ can make while being torn, which is holding your attention. In that sense, you are their most trusted reader in this house. I am hoping the coming years(and that’s a long way to go, I know) will make me see you ‘reading’ it, until then I will pick up all the torn pieces lying everywhere in the room. You have taken to a lot of food that we eat and that – my son- goes a long way in keeping your mom happy. Matar aaloo, meethi aaloo, all kinds of dal, mishti doi, chawal, salads, fruits, icecreams, shakes, you are slowly getting the hang of food happening around the house. That is an essential part of your successful onboarding into the family, afterall the family that eats together, stays together!
Night time is your hyperactivity time. Just the voice of daddy will make you go head over heels. There will be unstoppable laughter around here. You want to hide from daddy and at the same time you are enticing him to come and get you! To which he will certainly oblige. He comes running to you and you both end up with loud chortle and I love this moment and wish the time would freeze somehow! During the course of the night you achieve a perfect 180 degrees move on the bed. If I happen to wake up at around 3am, I can see that you are halfway done with your 180 degree move and your feet are comfortably resting on your dad’s face while both of you are in dreamland. Now that’s another kodak moment for me! I have read somewhere once and a co blogger recommended too, that while leaving the baby once must say a firm happy bye-bye with an assurance that we will be back to pick you up! I have tried that. But you simply refuse to do a bye-bye to mommy. You just won’t. Once I leave you at the creche, you just take your eyes off me, like you can’t see me going or is it that you don’t want to see me going! Son, may be you are trying to make it easier for yourself, but this is getting tough on me. No wait, keep it that way, I secretly like the fact that you just wouldn’t say bye to me! When I am back to pick you up for home, you say your best byes to creche aunty, like you practiced the whole day, just for that 20 seconds bye to her. Besides acting on a simple cue like bye bye, you can also clap perfectly- you clap when asked and when you hear nice music and when you are happy(and you know, clap your hands!). (Is it because I recited this to you pretty often?! ) The clap took some days to learn, initially you were just moving your body in rhythm to ‘claaping-claaping’ that I blurted non stop and then finally the hands came together. So you now do the world’s most wonderful clap complete with rhythm and all. You can do a very pleasant namaste and I so love that! The coming together of your palms, fingers still figuring out how to exactly overlap, its so damn cute! You can bring forward your hand to do the hello, but occasionally. You can also point out to the fan now, though I am hoping that you haven’t mistaken it for the chandelier. When in trouble, you say mamamamamamama endlessly which makes me run and jump over every thing and every being to get to you, I so love that, keep that up. You also took on a fancy to constantly say papapapapapa for a few days, which is ok, but not for too long ..haan! You can also say, da-da, ba-ba, na-na, de-de, athae-athae and of course you don’t know what any of this means. But I think you may just know what de-de means( a firm ‘give me!’ ). You also sing aaa-aaa-aaa-aaa while moving your body in sync. You can pull the batteries out from the tata sky remote on your own. And this I think has driven you to look at all your toys from the bottom and look for the batteries compartment. You recently learned how to sleep on your sides too. I think you also now understand what ‘flower’ means, thanks to all the roses I kept showing you when I got them for your dad. And when I say the word ‘flower’ it seems to make you happy and you smile, you like them too! I will see to it that you see more fresh flowers in the house than all the plasticky ones.
When I come to get you from the creche, your hands just reach out for me and you hug me and kiss me and bite me. I just want to hold on to that. I can’t stop admiring this little person that you are, so soft from the outside and the inside and so pure. I experience the purest form of love and I would say the closest to something deeply spiritual when I am with you. Son, I treasure each and every moment of all this and I know there is so much more to come and so many feats you will mesmerize me with. You give a very significant purpose to my existence. I feel I am having the time of my life! traaa laaa laaa laa!
Love and blessings,
Mum
When the day gets over today.. March 13, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in Little V.3 comments
…little V would have spent exactly the same number of days out of the womb as he spent inside. I was thinking of doing a 9 month post after 2-3 days, and suddenly this bit of mathematics struck me. This calculation is based on the date the gynae would consider as the first day of your pregnancy rather than the date of conception. Mommies out there will know of this!
I can’t begin to describe how I am feeling. Before I even start off on my melancholic trip, I’ll end the post here and chuck it to do a 9 month update post soon!
yeah yeah…I love doing the tags…here’s one March 9, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in Little V, this is me.6 comments
Munchkin’s Mom tagged me sometime ago. Lets see how it goes!
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yes, planned to every detail, we had read all that we could, mentally prepared and ready for it. And we hit the bulls eye first shot!
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes, couldn’t risk planning it that way (see 1 above) without being married
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Ok, so I was expecting that ‘I will now be expecting’ ..ehh!! very matter of factly, I said ‘we did it!!’
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
Not Applicable
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
I ‘am’ young.
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
The test stick, though hubbie refused to believe it, he thought I couldn’t be pregnant if I wasn’t puking, now how filmy is that!
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
Hubbie and then my mother-in-law.
8. DUE DATE?
26th June 2008
9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
Absolutely none, I was working on some days from 9am to 6am (next day mornings) every quarter!
10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Nothing, I secretly wished I would crave something, but I didn’t, Iwas exceptionally hungry though, at any time of the day or night, I could eat!
11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
After the beginning of my ninth month, I got bad, very red scary scars all over my arms, legs and my tummy, that itched like there was no tomorrow. I was irritated literally!! all the time. None of the docs, gynae or dematologists could figure out what it was. These were like big red blobs all over my skin, sometimes elevated too and very very itchy!
12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD’S SEX?
Male
13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
It didn’t matter, we just wanted a healthy, happy baby. I would be wrong if I say we didn’t think of what sex it would be, we were neutral.
14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
25 kgs and I managed to loose all of it and some more too!
15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes, my friends planned it as a surprise and I am so glad they did! It isn’t part of our punjabi customs.
16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
A lovely surprise!
17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Refer 11 above. I also had some GD scare, but it wasn’t for real. The cord was around the baby’s neck. I had become a whale, if you see the kgs I gained. My doc was worried if I would be able to lose it. Just these.
18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
New Delhi
19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
None, the delivery was also planned to perfection!
20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL/BIRTH CENTER?
My husband, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and my dad and sister and brother-in-law and my sister-in-law(brother’s wife) and my nephews joined us at the hospital. A complete family mela!
21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
My supertrustworthy doc and her team.
22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
C-Section
23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
Yups, you don’t expect me to go through a csec without it!
24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
3.6 kg
25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
16th June 2008
26. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN THE DOCTOR ANNOUNCED THE SEX OF THE BABY?
” ok, and so why is he crying so much, i know they are supposed to cry, but why so much, can you please see if all’s ok”. Just that.
27. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION ON SEEING THE BABY?
“Oh my baby! Don’t cry beta! I am your mamma, everything will be fine”
28. DID YOU CRY?
I was a bit teary eyed, but I didn’t cry out as such.
29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Little Little V.
30. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY
8 months and 3 weeks.
Thanks for this Munchkin’s Mom I enjoyed doing it. Anybody who would love to do this tag, please take it up!
The Gandhi Dynasty March 5, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in my country.add a comment
Its election time again, and much will be said about the Gandhi clan. The opposition will spare no opportunity to mention the ‘dynastic’ problem with Congress. Every attempt will be made to write off the ‘heir apparent’. Much has been said about Sonia Gandhi too. I have great respect for the lady. Born with the name Edvige Antonia Albina Maino in Italy, this lady embraced her Indian man and his Indian culture. She married into one of the most influential families of Indian politics. She saw assassinations of her mother in law and her husband. She could have had an easy passage by moving back to her country and leading a peaceful life. But she jumped into politics, knowing fully well the dangers she was exposing herself to. It took her time and must have taken courage to face Indian people and its dirty politics with her handicap for Hindi. I admire this lady for choosing to stay back for her husband’s country and embrace the family’s political affiliation. I might not have the heart to see her become the Prime Minister of our country, since she is not a born Indian, but I still carry a whole lot of admiration for this lady who can speak from her mind and think logical. Who dresses up and presents herself as much an Indian as any of us and gave up the choice of a comfortable life to take on the baton from her husband. We talk of young blood and fresh minds in our politics, but why do we want to write off a Rahul Gandhi, just because of what his last name stands for. He was only 21 when his father was assassinated and he’s back in the same arena that took away so many members of his family.How many of us are willing to give up the safety of our own life like that? I would just chicken out!
happy birthday, hubbie March 4, 2009
Posted by preetischronicle in hubby.5 comments
It was little V’s dad’s birthday last saturday. And we gave him a big surprise! I called up his friends, ordered cake and confetti and a big bunch of roses for him. Some of my friends think, men don’t like to get flowers, but I like to give them! Especially well made, only roses, handheld ones. Aren’t they so beautiful! Our friends crashed in at 12:00 midnight and we had a blast!! Hubbie was quite surprised and happy. We do have a thing of giving each other surprises, but with so many occasions round the year, anniversary, birthdays, valentine’s, we have been running out of ideas. This was a bit predictable but I think he would not have guessed the friends list. I was thrilled to see the smile on his face and happy to see him celebrate with his pals at that hour. Little V woke up too and didn’t cry one bit, with all the confetti pellets being fired and seeing his daddy getting birthday bumps!
Happy Birthday honey! May God shower his choicest blessings on you…you are my bestest gift ever and I can’t thank God enough for this day and for giving you to me!