First day at formal school!

While we were getting anxious about Betu while waiting for his orientation day at the new school to get over, he was having a good time coloring and playing. He said they even sang a few rhymes. He didn't tell me which ones though.

When we went inside the class to pick him up, he was smiling and all happy. A lot of kids were crying and he said "Yeh saare bachhe kyun ro rahe hain? Main dar gaya tha." What he meant was he got a little scared seeing all the kids crying.

So I told him next time someone cries, tell them let's play and color and he nodded his head in "OK" in response.

Then hubby asked him where did he sit and he showed us the table. They had very low tables and no chairs. He also showed us this ice cream that he colored up. He went on to explain that since he likes chocolate ice creams he has colored it up brown.

He then cheerily waved bye-bye to his teacher and trotted off with us. He showed us the aquarium on the way "Papa dekho, kitne saare fish!" and then dropped the bag in Hubby's hands and walked ahead of us.

Then we introduced him to the van driver and he is happy that he will go in the van to his daycare.

So on the whole he was just fine! It couldn't have been better it seems.

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Enjoying his birthday to the hilt!

It was Betu's birthday yesterday and he truly enjoyed it right from the morning till the late night. This is the birthday invite I had made. I took a pre-made design off the web but wrote the lines myself:

In the morning I had organised a small party at his school with cake and wafers and some return gifts for the kids. He was really excited about celebrating the birthday at school. Every time there would be a birthday celebration at the school for some kid, he would ask me "Mumma, mera bhi birthday manayenge school mein?" (Mumma, we will also celebrate my birthday at school?) and I would tell him "Of course yes Betu!"

So he cut up the cake at school with his class teacher and eagerly gave the return gifts to all the kids around. He was so excited that he is going to have 2 birthday parties and kept telling this to everyone at school :)

In the afternoon around 3:30 PM I put him to bed so that I could do the cooking with no distractions. Else he wants my attention all the time and then it gets difficult to cook. But the moment he woke up (around 6 PM), he asked me "Mumma party kahan hai?" (Mumma, where's the party?) I guess now you can imagine how excited he was :)

I had decorated the living room and the dining area with balloons while he was asleep. He went :O looking at the decorations when he woke up.

I had ordered "A Day In The Jungle" cake from Slice of Italy. Although it looked a little funny with so much cream and colors but it was yummmm! I was a little apprehensive about how it would taste looking at so much cream but everyone just raved about the cake - for its taste as well as its looks! The cream was not the oily kinds and the kids wanted to eat only the animals made of the cream. Anirudh had such a tough time deciding which one he wanted to eat. He changed his mind 4-5 times before deciding on one :D

With his friend Mitr

I cooked all the food at home. I was expecting around 24 guests and 17 of them actually turned up. I cooked Rajma, Dum Aloo, Shahi Paneer, Gobhi Aloo, Macaroni Salad, Zeera Rice, Boondi Raita and Spinach Pooris. For the starters I served butter popcorns (Act II Microwaveable ones) and diet oil free wafers. I had made Shikanji for the drink and had bought Tropicana Orange juice. We served Kesar Pista and Strawberry Crush ice creams from Mother Dairy as dessert.

I had called my cook early to help me out. However I trust no one but myself when the cooking needs to be done for parties. So her job was to only cut the vegetables (but for the macaroni salad, I diced all the veggies myself as I like them very thinly diced) and do other little little things like squeezing out lemon juice for the Shikanji etc.

Everyone raved about the food and that made me really happy. Its another story that no one would actually complain about the food even if they didn't like it in a party for sure :P

But I refuse to look at it that way. I would take it that they really loved it as much as they raved about it :D

So happy to get such a big gift from Nanu!

When the guests started to leave, I went to bring the return gifts for the kids but Anirudh took over that part from me completely. He was happily giving them away. And even if some adults would be saying byes, he would excitedly pipe in "Arre ruko! Aapka return gift to le le!" Stop. Take your return gift) and would run to get a return gift for them. And when they would say this is for kids he would wave his hands and say "Nahi nahi. Aap rakh lo!" (No. No. Keep it). He just won't let anyone leave without a return gift (Thank god I had that many in my stock). In the end when my Avi Bhaiyya (cousin bro), Rita Bhabhi (his wife) and Ayush (their younger son) were left and only 2 return gifts available, he gave one to Ayush and the other one to Bhabhi. Bhaiyya teased him "Mera kahan hai!" He promptly took the one he gave to Bhabhi and gave it to Bhaiyya. And when Bhabhi complained he tells them "Aap Mama ke saath share kar lena!" :D

By the time everyone left, it was 11:30 PM and I was totally pooped out. But very happy! Anirudh was still on a high and wasn't ready to call it quits and go to bed. After playing for a while with him we finally we got to sleep at 12:30 AM.

Today in the morning when he woke up and saw the maid clearing up the confetti from the party popper, he came to me and complained "Didi meri party kharab kar rahi hain!" I had such a laugh and had to tell him party is over but if he wants I can collect the confetti in a bag and give it to him. But obviously he said yes :)

Later in the morning he tells me "Thank you Mumma! Mujhe bahut mazaa aaya!" And I just melted at his statement, showered him with hugs and kisses. What more can a parent ask for? A child who appreciates what you do for them!

Birthday card!

When we entered home today evening, I saw a mail in the mailbox. Just from its appearance it looked like a geeting card and I instantly knew who had sent it. :D Since this person has sent a birthday greeting every year, without fail, for Betu's birthday. Its none other than his Ruchi Mausi and Rahul Mausa! :)

Since my hands were full I asked Betu to pick it out. After picking the mail he was trying to hand it over to me but just then I looked at the name and told him "Yeh aapka letter hai!" He looked bemused and said "Mera?" and then I told him "Yeh aapka birthday card hai. Ruchi Mausi be bheja hai! Sameer ne aur Mausa ne". I'm not sure what words to use for his expressions or actions. He eagerly tore open the envelope and pulled out the card. And then excitedly said "Sponge Bob Square Pants!" the smile on his face was just so priceless!

And when he opened the card, a song started to play and he gaped at it with mouth wide open. He looked at me and then at the card. He was so ecstatic! He kept opening and closing the card over and over again!

Thank you Mausi - Mausa and Sameer for such a lovely card! Muaaaaaaaahhh!!

And when I opened the card to listen to the wordings of the song, he strictly told me not to saying "Battery finish ho jayegi!"

Yes boss!

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Does he really mean it?

About 20 mins ago, while I was watching TV and Anirudh was lying next to me, he said "Mumma, hum bhi ek chhota sa Aryan le kar aayenge." For a moment I froze as I was not sure if I had heard it right. So to confirm I asked him "Aapko Aryan chahiye?" (Aryan is the name of his younger cousin) and he nodded his head and added "Par Aryan to bada hai na! Hum chhota as baby Aryan layenge." He tried to show with his hands how small a baby he wants. So it was clear that he wanted a baby at home. And since Aryan is the youngest baby he has seen, he was using Aryan as a reference.

Then he went ahead to ask me "Hum usko Aryan bolenge?" and I said "Aapko jo naam achha lage woh bol lena". This was not the end and he prodded me further "Rishit achha hai na?" and I nodded saying "Yes" then I asked him "Radhika kaisa hai?" to which he very sweetly replied "Woh bhi achha hai!" and after that he quietly lied down next to me and just snuggled.

For him it was probably over and done with but I kept pondering as to what triggered this question and these series of thoughts in his mind suddenly. And I have no answer. Does this mean he wants a younger sibling? Is this a temporary desire which might turn sour once he finds our love divided? Should we really think about a second child?

Why I think this is a temporary desire is because he never lets me cuddle up a small baby. He gets so insecure however much I try to involve him and explain him. Even if I'm talking to a baby in somebody's else's arms, he tells me "Nahi aap meri Mumma ho!" and if I take the baby in my lap, he immediately asks me to give the baby back.

Ohh boy! I am in such a dilemma. I have talked, written and discussed about this dilemma before also and I still don't have an answer.

Its not that I don't yearn for another cuddly puddly baby but with the current circumstances I don't think I will be able to have a professional career with another child to take care of. During weekdays I leave home by 8 AM and reach home little before 7 PM. This leaves me jut about 3 -4 hours in a day to spend time with Anirudh and to do various house chores as well. And thats why I feel I will not be doing justice by brining another child in this world but not being able to devote time and attention to them both.

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Treasures from the pocket!

Numerous crumbles of red clay and one lone thermocol ball in white color! :)

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Playing Holi at school

Anirudh had a blast playing Holi on 19th and 20th at his school. Every day he would come all colored up but on 20th he was colored up so much that I needed to give him a bath.

On 19th, his school had organised holi celebrations, which I was not aware of and thus I hadn't sent any colors with Betu. So when I picked him up in the evening he complained that he didn't have any colors with him and wanted me to take him to the market to buy him some. I somehow calmed him down saying Papa will take him once papa comes back from work. Thankfully he had very little gulal smeared on his forehead so I just wiped it with wet towel and it was good to go.

But on 20th, he got a packet of gulal from school and he was colored up so much that I was shocked. And he was so excited when I went to pick him up about having played holi and having a packet of gulal all for himself. He was being such a brat and kept saying "Main aapke holi lagayoon??!!" and kept showing me the packet of gulal in his pcoket. Since I was quite formally dressed, I was getting scared lest he smears me up and that was making it all the more fun for him to tease me every now and then about putting gulal on me. He really is such a brat!! :D

Here are some pictures of him post his holi session at his school on March 20. Since it is pink gulal, not much is visible in the pics as it was in real.

Look at his eyebrows in the picture above..they are full of pink gulal.

Style Bhai!

There used to be times when Anirudh used to cry at haircuts and now are the times when he not only goes happily for them but also examines how the cut has been given.

After the cut (see pictures below), he touches his hair, turns his face left and then right while looking at the mirror and asks "Main cute lag raha hoon na?" (Am I am looking cute?). The hair dresser and all the people there had such a laugh hearing him. He just hid in my lap and hurried me up to come out of the shop! These are the kids of the 21st century, as his Nanu commented when I told him about the incident!

Cool biker!

These were clicked at FastTrax, New Friends Colony, New Delhi on Mar 8, 2008.

Master Chef!

For quite some time Anirudh has been wanting to use the knife o cutting up fruits etc all by himself. And since last month I allowed him to use it under my eagle eyes! Before anyone starts rolling their eyes at me for letting a child who is not even 4 yet to use a knife, here are the pictures of how he uses it. In these pics he is slicing up a guava.



So now can I hear some "yeah..this is fine!" from ye all? .....Good :D

P.S. Just to clarify the glove may look dirty, but it is not. It was freshly washed when Betu was using it. Those brown marks are the stains that are not going off it even after tough scrubbing!

His first prize!

Yesterday when I picked up Anirudh from his daycare I got to know that he had won a first prize in the "Balancing Race". They had to hold a glass of water and reach the finish line without spilling the water. I was definitely more ecstatic about him winning the race then he was :P

He won a big coloring book and a certificate. I haven't had a chance yet to click the certificate but will do it soon and post the picture here. This being his first prize, I was calling up everyone and telling them about it. When I told Hubby about it, he said lets buy a certificate holder for Anirudh now :)

I've a mobile too!

Yesterday while I was in the other room, I suddenly started hearing Betu talking to someone. I wondered who it was and came around to see him. And this is what I saw-him talking on his toy mobile phone. :D

When I asked him who he was talking to he told me "Papa se". A little while he started talking again, to his papa again, and was saying "Aap office pahunch hate?" "Kya? Abhi tak nahi pahunche?" "Aapko straight nahi jaana tha" "Ab left jaayo, fir straight, aur straight, straight straight, air straight" "Ab mujhe Thank you bolo! Maine aapko raasta bataya na" "ok bye" and he flipped his 'mobile' close in style and tottered away satisfied!

P.S. I had written this more than a month ago and found it in drafts on my BlackBerry.

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Dinosaur discovered!

A unique variety of Dinosaurs has been discovered by none other than Anirudh! This is the first time that a specie like this has been found and has left the world totally awed!

Intensive research is in progress to know more about this new found species.

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Treasures from the pocket!

Dried crumbles of green clay and a tiny disc that he got from a packet of Haldiram snacks in school which were given to them as a part of birthday celebrations.

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Treasures from the pocket!

A half eaten and squashed 5-Star fruit and nut chocolate. A green colored clay and a broken eraser.

I've learned my lesson well so this time no questions were asked. :D

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Octopus

Anyone seen a cuter octopus than this one? :D

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Artist by nature?

Every time I see Betu drawing or painting I wonder if set is in his nature. You have to see for yourself the concentration with which he does and how engrossed he gets. The brows are slightly knitted, the lips keep pouting in and out and even if I call him numerous times he doesn't listen. See the pout in the picture below.

And when I was clicking him painting a butterfly, he actually got slightly angry and told me "Aap photo kheench kar mujhe pareshan kyun kar rahe ho? Meri painting kharab ho jayegi na fir?" (Why are you troubling me with your picture clicking? My painting will go wrong then.)

And I just had to sheepishly retreat back saying "Sorry!"

And see in this pic how he has hung his drawings on the clothesline using the clothespin.

And this is his version of a Christmas tree that he made couple of months ago. Its a tall green tree decorated with strings of red lights.

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A very hungry caterpillar

This is Betu's illustration of the caterpillar from the book "A very hungry caterpillar"



I found it really cute!



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Butterfly butterfly, how do you do?

First we traced you out,

Then Mumma made a cut out!



I colored you purple, yellow and brown

Made me so happy, I jumped up and down.



You looked so pretty

In those colors all over you.

Mumma snipped in the center

to put on the finger too!



I put you on and made you fly

Up up up, in the sky!



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