Tiny, till now

Tiny, till now.

So time is flying and Tiny is already 4 months past 2 years. He talks like he's been at it for ages. Every time he runs across the living room, am sure he's going to end up breaking something. Every time I get busy, am sure he'll find ways to make me stop whatever it is that am doing and run to him...either by being too cute and irresistible  or too naughty and intolerable. He' been springing surprises too often for me to keep track.

He's no longer the daredevil that he used to be even until a month ago. He's begun to get a grasp on how most things around him function.. People, places, things etc. it's fascinating to see how a child learns through observation and also by asking questions unabashedly. Unlike before, he doesn't warm up to strangers instantly.

Food -- He still doesn't snack in between meals and prefers savory south Indian meals / snacks to chocolates or cereal or breads! Has started becoming fussy about tastes and textures and spits out anything he finds yucky. Though, I see a little change..he's open to tasting Ice cream and jelly and even asks for repeats. :) He even enjoyed a spoonful of condensed milk while my brother and I were busy licking the tin clean. 

Memory -- is something that is driving me crazy! He remembers incidents, people and places from almost 4 months ago..and very clearly that too. Just last night he asked, "Amma where is Ajjibear (that's what he calls my mom)" I reminded him that she lives in Bombay. And then he starts talking about the lift, his blue cycle, Nikunj baby, meena Ajji,  Sanju aunty, the flyovers, and his favourite memory being a stray incident near Crawford market where a santro car was ablaze and he saw a fire engine in action! 

Love -- is expressed selectively. And is also used to manipulate and get things done his way. Like if he wants to play with the iPad, he'll give you any number of hugs and kisses. If there is nothing you can entice him with, you'Kll be lucky to even get a kiss blown in your direction. Sometimes, when he's in the mood, he goes about cycling across the hall singing " I loveoo Amma, I loveoo appa" but won't allow you to roll on him or hug him tightly and squish him! It's almost like,words speak louder than actions in his case:)

As the days go by, he promises to keep me realllllly busy while he just goes about with his business of growing up!

Tiny's first trip to Mysore

A day after he turned 6 months, Tiny made his first trip to Mysore. To the place where I was born. To the house where my grandparents lived, and then my mom, till she got married and then me for the first few years of my life. My earliest memories are of this home and the the people I lived with there. He also met one of my favourite aunts..in fact my favouritest aunt!

Some pics of the house:

The original Home

Same place as above, about 25 years ago (that's me!)

With a bit of the lovely garden

And the Bougainvillea  

The lovely driveway 

The driveway and me with my one of my first pets, 25 years ago 

All the loving from my fav. aunt

Look forward to many many more such fun trips to Mysore!

A special bond

Tiny is the only lucky one in our family enjoy the loving company of his great grandmother (my grandmother). Like I mentioned in one of my posts, my g'dad passed away a few hours before Tiny was born..almost like making way for a new life. So Tiny holds an important place in my g'mom's heart and they share a special bond! She is just so amazing with him. The way she hold him, sings him to sleep, plays with him..just everything! Almost like they understand each other. They communicate in a way no one else understands.

At 79 years of age, I can easily say that my grand mom has seen the best and the worst that life has to offer. She has lost children, gone through multiple miscarriages before she gave birth to a healthy child. Then came difficulties of all kinds. She sailed through the toughest of storms without as much as wincing. She developed severe arthritis almost 22 years ago and now doesn't know what it is like to be free of any pain. Despite this, she has much much more energy than any of her daughters or even grand children! She still has so much enthusiasm for life and has only improved with time. She tries out the latest recipes so that her grand children enjoy what she cooks, she hand stitches fashionable bags similar to the ones that cost hundreds of rupees in retail stores, makes sure that her gifts to people are all handmade and full of love and affection.

Because of her severe arthritis, she finds it difficult to walk around inside the house, let alone going out. I don't remember when she last went out of town. Tatha was unwell for almost 3 months before he passed away on 25 Sep and all she said was " I've been preparing myself for this for almost 2 years now, but didn't imagine it would all get over so soon!" And when Tiny was born the next day, she called to congratulate me. My mom told her that i was in tears and that I didn't have the courage to speak to her..she said 'This is not the time to mourn over what has passed by..it is a time to rejoice and celebrate the arrival of a brand new life'. She also decided to travel all the way to Mumbai to join in the celebrations and also because she couldn't wait for 5 long months to see Tiny for the first time.

In my opinion, she is the strongest woman i have ever known. Hats off to her! I love you Ajji :)

I am so happy Tiny has an opportunity to know my grand mother. May he grow up to know the amazing woman that she is and learn to respect and care for elders.

My grandmother decorating Tiny's cradle for his naming ceremony

I've loved you from your first heartbeat and will continue to love you till my last heartbeat!!!