Shhh the baby is sleeping!

The first week of VDK’s life no one in the house spoke above a whisper. This is because we didn’t want to scare/shock baby! And even after we got over that our voice was down to low tones even if he was asleep in the crib upstairs and we were downstairs. This weekend, we were at a SuperBowl party and while we were all yelling and screaming at the dismal Pats loss, VDK in his car seat was fast asleep!!!!!!! I kept checking on him to make sure that he wasn’t waking up but my lil one was out for the night. Alright then, the whispering/low tones can now stop…

On a side note, he turned 3 months old this weekend. He is finally beginning to sleep through most of the night but my sleep cycle which finally got tuned with his has gone for a toss and I am wide awake at three in the morning watching AC360 and Piers Morgan tonight.

To Renewed Beginings

When I started this blog many many moons ago I had entered a new chapter in my life. I had finished a significant portion of my education and moved out of the secure, comforting awnings of my parents’ home. I was living by myself and working and learning the ropes of adulthood. I am attempting to resurrect the blog as I just entered another chapter of my life. I became a mother to a little darling boy who shall be known as VDK (read vee-dee-kay) which in Telugu means “for him”. So I am kinda writing a blog “for him” to chronicle his mom’s emotions through his early life. Writing this blog helped me a lot with the previous chapter of my life and I am hoping that by returning back to writing I will get some support and sanity in the otherwise crazy life of being a new & working mom.

Motherhood in a nutshell means having boatloads of patience. And I don’t mean small rafts but giant Titanic sized ships of patience. I should have called it shipload then…LOL!!  And no, it’s not just in dealing with baby - but in dealing with the free advice that people think is wise to dispense to a new mom.

The first week of lil VDK’s life was chaotic. He arrived a few weeks ahead of schedule and hence we weren’t prepared for the nitty grittys such as diapers and setting up the bassinet. After bringing him from the hospital D and I made a frantic Babies’R’Us run for essentials and bought giant jumbo packs of diapers and formula little realizing that babies change diaper sizes super-fast and a one week old doesn’t drink 8 oz of formula at one shot!!! It took us about 4 days to get the hospital tags off our own hands and a few more days to get them off VDK’s little ankles… In our sleep deprived state we took tons of pictures attempting to document every moment of his existence and his multi colored poop (ok this was to show the doctor!) We filled out forms for birth certificates and health insurance. The first time I was signing the waiver at the hospital as force of habit I began writing my own name and had to ask for a new set of papers to fill out and put my name against Parent/Guardian… VDK’s first visit was of course to the temple where he was officially introduced to the world in the form of a namakaranam. In the middle of the chaos it was D’s and mine wedding anniversary. I am now the proud owner of a Tiffany’s Diamond ring (which was more for the first born than the wedding anniversary) but we didn’t do anything. What got me through the early weeks was advice I received from a random parent in the waiting room at the doctors. Small kids = small problems, Bigger kids = Bigger problems.

Now, at almost 9.5 weeks lil V is starting to display his personality. His best friend is his maternal grand mom who talks to him in a language he understands. He has phone conversations with his grand pa. He chills out with his dad who is thanking his stars that his son has an ear for music and he lets me be the helicopter parent that I am turning into. He still sleeps in the car seat thereby allowing us occasional trips out of the house.  He is braver than us at the doctor’s visits for his shots crying for about 30 seconds while his father and I are freaking out and apologizing for putting him through the agony.  And that is my entry into motherhood J

Rose tinted glasses

Life has gotten in the way of my blogging. Have I made any significant strides in the last year? No not really.. Just the same old. Same old..

Sometimes, I feel that we look at the past with rose tinted glasses. (Atleast I do!) After over a year today I felt like reading some of my old blog posts. There is one I especially like about things I miss doing in Chennai... Ironically, I still missing doing all of them..With friends one weekend, we launched into a discussion regarding our rose tinted view of Chennai. We felt that if we packed our bags and went back to Chennai, we probably will not get the similar experiences or flashbacks. We have changed, friends have changed or moved out of Chennai or circumstances around us have changed..

Of travels..

3 years and 4 days later I went back to Chennai. Watching as the overhead map crossed the Arabian sea and entered India somewhere between Bombay and Goa tears sprung up in my eyes.. I was never one of those folks who pined for Chennai so I never felt the longing or urge to go back.. I made sudden plans and I was there but still I was emotional the moment I landed.. Parents and in - laws were at the airport to get me and I for once got the feeling that I have heard others tell me about.. I vowed only to wear Salwar Kameezes my entire trip there so I did that.. Of course I wore socks and carried my own bottle of water everywhere I went..

I wanted to have the moment where I say "Oh! So much has changed! Is this Chennai??? Wow!! I cannot even recognize the place" However, I couldn't bring myself to say any of that.. I have changed.. In ways that I cannot recognize I have changed.. The city has stayed just the same.. The eyes through which I was looking at them had changed. Of course, I did the usual.. Going to beach.. Going to Spencers.. Going to Saravana Bhavan.. Going to T - Nagar.. Attending a cutchery.. Going to ECR.. and Going to sleepover at D's..

Writer's block

Writer's block. No other explanation! Many moons ago, I read an article that said that a person's life is defined by his/her profession. At that point in life I thought that it was all BS and that every person is a mom, a daughter a wife, a sister, a friend, a brother, a dad and so on so forth. But in the last few months I think I am beginning to recant on my statement. All through my college and grad school days I was of the extremely strong opinion that I am absolutely non - technical and am probably not a great engineer. However, for the last ten months I have held a fairly technical job and I would like to think that I am fairly decent at it. More than anything else, i think that I have been trained to think a certain way. I am always amazed that education can do this to a person. It also reinforces my opinion that education is the one of the primary things that will drive a person to survival.

OK.. I promise not to die anymore. I hope. LOL!

Growing Pains!

This week my mind yearned to achieve the impossible. And all it took was phone call to a dear friend. I am not one for homesickness.. I don't spend my days thinking of Saravana Bhavan idlies and Sundal on the beach. Don't get me wrong.. I love Madras and enjoyed every aspect of it but I am not one for craving things that I know are beyond my reach. A few years ago I made a choice and I don't believe in regretting any choices I made. But last week all it took was one email and one phone call and I wished to be instantly transported to next to my friend. To stand with her and help her through her problems. For a few minutes my mind wanted to hug my friend and shield her from all the troubles of the world. We spent some time discussing college friends and the various escapades that we (read Me) orchestrated!!!

During a recent conversation with N we spoke mundane things and re-hashed all old gossip. She filled me in on all the families talk. Its at times like these that I am noticing that though my heart is felt with immense affection for these people I hardly am making an effort to express it.

I am noticing that almost all of my friends are getting married or are getting there. The boys have had kids!!! Its almost impossible for me to think that N was one of the guys that went with me to the A R Rahman concert and screamed and sang with me. He was one of the people responsible for introducing me to Illayaraja music and who can forget his rendition of Illamai Idho Idho during one of the college culturals. I am truly happy for him but at the same time realizing that we are all not teenagers safe in the portals of SVCE, Pennalur.

All this reminds me of a dialog from Rang De Basanti which for some reason stuck in my head.. "College gate ke is par zindagi ko hum nachate hain, College gate ke us par zindagi hum ko nachati hain" Roughly transalated it means " On this side of the college gates we govern our lives and on the other side of the college gates our lives govern us!"

Books Tag

As usual, I do any tags on my blog.. This one is to mention 15 books I cannot live without..

1) A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth

2) Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

3) Sister of My Heart, Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni

4) Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

5) Unaccustomed Earth - I won't say its a book I can't live without but I say it made a lot of sense to me., Jhumpa Lahiri

6) Not Without My Daughter - Betty Mahmoody

7) As the Crow Flies, Jeffery Archer

8) Kane and Abel, Jeffery Archer

9) Master of the Game, Sidney Sheldon

10)Adventures of Mr. Pink Whistle, Enid Blyton

11) Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri

12) The Toss of a Lemon, Padma Viswanathan

13) The GodFather, Mario Puzo

14)Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

15) Ok this is not a book per se.. But Calvin and Hobbes series..

I tag Swat Cat..