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Sep 28, 2009

Thithab turns 4

Dear Thithu,
This is what mishy mishy calls you now. I cannot believe how the years have flown by and that you have kutty at home calling you anna :-)
We have seen you blossom in a never before way in the past year. While you amazed so many with your intelligence, your appa and I had been waiting for you to start communicating more with us. We never realized that we had to teach you to talk than to study ;-)
Till you were two, you were the silent observant kinds happy to be by yourself.
I started working from when you were 4 months old and you were such an easy baby, sleeping well, feeding decently that I hardly felt the strain.(as opposed to nish, just staying home with him was more tiring than when I worked with you !! )
It was only when Nish was born, we saw you reacting sometimes with jealousy. You did not know how to show it and started being a bit aggressive. I guess you picked that from me since I would sometimes vent out my tiredness, frustration on you. But as you learned many things, I also learned many parenting lessons and I realized how much what I practice comes back to you.
It was very hard managing with both of you when you were 2.5 and nish was 0.5 years old. He would be sleepy and you would be around and I would wait for a quiet 5 minute period so that I can leave nish on the crib. That was the time when you acted as if you understood my plight and when I would ask you to stay put with absolute conviction that you will not even understand what I meant, many times you would remain absorbed in your books and I would be successful with my attempt ;-) It used to break my heart to shove you away while feeding mish mish but then I would drop him the minute I was done and take you on my lap.
While you were close to 3 years, me and mish fell sick and it was very hard time. You had just recovered. I was too tired taking care of me and him. once i made lunch and fed u guys I used to be too tired and though nish would nap, sometimes u were awake. and I would ask you to stay silent and that I had to rest as I was sick. and you were by yourself for an entire hour those few days while I could recharge myself.
Me and you were silent partners in cheating on nish. On days when he missed his nap, or the nights that you were not sleepy I would ask you to pretend to sleep and you would stay in your room till I left nish in the crib !! and when he would refuse to eat his stuff or drink his milk, I would ask you to pretend to eat and never once did u really eat ! but it did the trick to get nish to eat. Though I have screamed, lost my temper with you for not understanding many small things that most kids would, I felt blessed that at times of real need and desperation you have not let me down.
I have always admired the way how you could really eat your food so well and neatly and SLOWLY - me and nish can never do that. and the way you crave for your veggies has made many moms jealous of me :-) I know i am very stingy with candies and junk food but you have always been nice and very few times have made it hard for me by asking those and even the times you ask, I feel you deserve it.
you are always a pleasure to teach and I have been very very happy when I see you grasp things in the first or second attempt itself. It has made my life very easy. otherwise I would have been helpless managing the home, kids and teaching you too. I wish you also become a pleasure to be with at home, not now, in a few years at least. I understand that this is your monkeying phase, that nothing can give you more pleasure than doing many silly things and these will be the memories later on and that I will also threaten you when you grow up of having such monkey offsprings ;-)
Though I am the harshest with you, I scream at you many many times, sometimes scare you out when both of you become so hard to handle, am too tired and exhausted and when you don't understand I lose my temper - I still love you so so much. Many people around say that you will be a whiz kid, genius etc. But I will be very happy as long as you are happy with what you do in life. I wish that you are filled with abundant health and happiness always. And I truly hope you will be a fine example for your little brother.

Sep 10, 2009

Mishy Mishy turns two !

Dearest Mish Mish,
Today I have been flooded with thoughts about how you have grown. From being an extremely under-weight baby to a cherubic toddler you have indeed changed. You have your own personality now and are a real charmer. You have your way with people and can just tug their hearts with your mischievous smile and cute display of your feelings :-)
You are all that we missed in your anna. It fills my heart to see how well you both make a complete package. He being the nerdy, methodical, reserved, geeky types and you being the total boisterous rowdy. We just enjoy the difference and hope you rub off a bit on each other. It just seems like yesterday when we celebrated your first birthday.
It was just at that time you showed you had a mind of your own. You wanted the spoon initially and close to 15 months you wanted to eat by yourself since anna did that. You picked the habit of having a book in your hand just because he read a lot. Initially though you pretended, it is heartening to know that you too have an interest in books. And then slowly you have learnt many good things from him. Just cannot wait for you to be potty-trained :-D
While he is the eternal thinker and dreamer, you are very aware of your surroundings. I cannot forget the astonishment when you used to help me empty the dishwasher close to 18 mths - a habit you picked from anna but what amazed me was, how you knew where all the odd vessels went - like the tea filter and the iron tavas.
And then close to two you wanted to empty the vessels and me to stack them ! My heart used to shudder to see you reach out first for the ceramic and glass vessels but you were always careful for the second or two till I reached you and took it from your hands. Another incident that surprised me was how you noticed that after finishing my horlicks, I used to reach for the remnants in the cup and lick them ;-)
I burst out laughing when I found out that one day, you emptied your water from the cup and did the same ! And today when I made my horlicks by adding milk and sugar and the powder you reached out for the spoon and gave it to me :-)
As a mark of your second birthday, you have learnt to tell your name and refer yourself by your name - michy michy.
While we sang "Happy Birthday Mishy Mishy" you were happy to sing it out for all the friends whose parties you attended. At the end of the day when me made you cut the cake, I guess you understood that it was your occasion. And you have been the happy receiver of many phone calls, basking in the attention you received.
I hope you stay as expressive like this - from screaming/singing happily when we get your favorite food, to dancing when you are happy, running for that hug and kiss just to feel good, making others notice you and reveling in that and doing something mischievous and laughing heartily - I wish they can be scenes I can watch forever !
You and anna are now like wild cats and sometimes I get confused if I am rearing a zoo or a terrorist organization the way you two mercilessly attack each other. But from the corner of my heart I really hope that you will compensate for all this by being best buddies and being there for each other when needed.

You guys have made our lives short of energy, time and money but enriched it with so much LIFE !