Hey Ananya,
You are 8 months old today. (I am sorry I am publishing this a bit late. Had kept it ready on the second day of April. Couldn't publish here due to my busy schedule. Your mom received a copy on April 2nd :-))
Anyways, moving on. Let's see how well you have progressed along.
You are making great strides in
your journey. Congratulations!!
The last two months have been eventful. You have experienced
many firsts. I would like to describe some of it.
6-Month birthday
celebration!
Birthdays are normally celebrated when you complete one
year. But, we couldn’t wait to celebrate something with you, for you. So, we
decided to celebrate your 6-months on this beautiful planet.
I came from office a bit early. I reached home by 7.15 pm.
Yes, that’s early compared to my normal standards! I went to pick up your
Achchachan (grandfather) and Ammuma (grandmother) from Nerul. We came back with
a cake. Vinu uncle was working in a late shift. He probably excused himself and
made it for you.
We cut a small chocolate cake. Gave you a little taste of it
too! You had fun. I am amazed by your poise when there are a lot of people.
Neither I nor your mother seem to have this trait. So, keep it up!
After the cake cutting, we had a lavish dinner to culminate
the celebrations.
First Wedding
Attended by you – Dipti’s Wedding
I am sure if you are reading this, you already know Dipti.
For everyone else, Dipti is Deepa’s younger sister, and hence Ananya’s aunt.
On 11th February, 2018, Dipti and Rahul decided to
take their vows. That’s the first time you went to a function attended by more
than 100 people. It was at the landmark party and marriage hall in Goregaon.
You know what’s special about the place? Well, your parents also got married
there.
Again, I was absolutely impressed with you being at ease
with all the people, the celebrations, the occasional noise of the drums.
Nothing seemed to faze you. At barely one year of age, you can manage in a
scenario which can give jitters to adults. So, well done!
First Flight – Mumbai
– Mangalore (Spice Jet)
February is normally a busy month with our annual plans and
activities. I will explain about this when we talk but it is not important here.
What’s important is your first flight. The first time I took a flight was when
I was 17-years old. You are doing it at 7-months of age; it sounds exciting to
me! I think your mother had done it when she was six-months old. Let me share a
little secret – She is still not comfortable during take-off, but you seemed to
be so much at ease. In fact, you slept thorough the take-off without a care in
the world.
The idea was to go to Kerala (our native place). A brisk
trip was planned, and we went to Kerala on Wednesday, 28th Feb,
2018. I had booked an Uber at 6 am to catch the 0845 flight. You slept in the
Uber and at Mumbai airport too. By the time, you woke up, we were in the skies
and about 10 minutes from landing into Mangalore.
Why Mangalore? Though its in Karnataka, it is the nearest airport to Kannur in Kerala. This is where your mother’s native place is. We visited your Achchchan and Ammama (Deepa’s parents) house. We stayed there for three days. The place is beautiful and seems like a hill station. The peace and tranquillity are unmatched.
Temple Spree
In those three days, 28th of February to 2nd March,
we visited a host of temples in North Kerala. Let me tell you that this was my
first visit to Kannur, just like you. So, whatever you saw was a first for me
as well.
Your uncle, Jagdeep, had come down for a surprise visit. All
of us were taking care of you and playing with you. We visited the following
temples with you. You can read about it in the link below.
We also visited your Achchachans ancestral home, your Ammumas home and the respective relatives. It was a fun filled three days with a lot of travel for you.
The first train Journey – Kannur to Changanacherry – Malabar Express
On 2nd March, at 9 pm, we had to leave for Changanacherry.
While your mother and I are both Keralites, we are poles apart (no pun intended
here 😊). She is from the extreme north of Kerala
and we belong to the South. We are from a place called Mavelikara, which is in
Alleppey district of Kerala.
So, we boarded the train to Changanacherry, that’s where my grandmother is, and we wanted her to see you and bless you. We reached there and stayed for a day. We had a lot of fun. You were thoroughly entertained by your uncles, aunts and ammumas.
After an awesome trip, we came back home to Mumbai.
Another family
function – celebrating the first PhD in our family at Kamothe, in Navi Mumbai.
Your aunt, Viji, had received her Phd. Vinay uncle and Viji
aunty, had thrown a party to celebrate this. They stayed very close to our
house (yes, a house owned by us in Kamothe). The party was arranged by them in
that house because it was unoccupied. This is the first time you saw our house.
This is the first house that I bought after starting to earn a salary. It will
always remain special to me.
However, we were there to celebrate a special achievement.
You gifted your aunt and congratulated her on achieving her Phd. The food was great,
and we had fun.
Mom resumes work –
Your day-care with grandparents
Since you have two sets of grandparents, let me make it easy
for you. My parents stay in Nerul. Let’s call them Nerul grandparents. Deepa’s
parents stay in Andheri. Let’s call them Andheri grandparents from now on.
Deepa got a six-month maternity break to take care of you.
And she left no stone unturned to take the greatest possible care of you in
these six months. It was hardly a break. She did not sleep much and did not
leave you alone for even a minute in these six months. You are a lucky child.
You got all the love and attention that you rightly deserve. But do remember
that not all children are so privileged. Always be grateful for it!
Moving on, let me take you to 12th March. It was a Monday and Deepa was going to resume work. She worked in a software company named Hexaware which is about 13 Kms from where we stay in
Seawoods.
We had arranged for a driver named Sambhaji, who knew us for long, to come and pick us up, drop you with Ammuma and Achchachan at Nerul and then drop Deepa to office. It was no easy task. We all got up at 5 am. Deepa got ready by 6.15 am. I looked after you till then. While I got ready, she would bathe you and get you ready. Luckily, we had a maid who would come at six and another who would come to clean the house. After completing everything and packing the stuff you would need for the day, we left home at 7.15 am to drop you with Nerul grandparents at 7.20 am. We then went ahead. I used to get dropped at Palm Beach in Vashi from where I would take a cab or go with my colleague named Preethi Menon in her car.
What I admired about you all through this has been your ability to adapt to a change. Your routine went haywire and still you managed to go through without a complaint, all smiles. You radiated so much positivity and energy. You ensured that your parents could concentrate on their respective work without getting worried. You won us in that week. I hope you carry that spirit all through life! Well done again, Ananya!
As soon as we dropped you, Nerul Ammuma would take you to the garden for a walk, she would show your flowers and trees. After a nice morning walk, you would come home, have a light breakfast and go to sleep. Whatsapp has been a great tool. We had a group called Angel, which comprised of Deepa, Nerul Ammuma, Achchchan and Vinu uncle. This group was dedicated to talk about you and share your pics and videos. We received regular updates from Ammuma on this group.
We worked in our office in peace knowing you were happy. We saw videos of you enjoying nursery rhymes sung by Ammuma and the kids that she teaches.
In the evening, your mom would come to Nerul and pick you up and you both would take a autorickshaw to come to Seawoods. It is not easy at all for Deepa. I am sure it is not easy for Nerul Ammuma and Achchachan too. But you have been a very good child.
I really cherish the moments after I come home in the evening. As you know, I work in Andheri so it takes a good two hours to reach home after office. So, as soon as I step out, my single-minded focus is to reach home as fast as I can. I used to run for the metro train, I used to book a cab from the metro itself to not waste time in transit. It tried my best to reach as fast as possible.
As soon as I came home, you would see me and smile in excitement. You would kick the bed vehemently with your legs, look up and keep smiling and laughing. That, to me, was utmost fulfilling.
Then, for at least an hour, we had our own father-daughter time while your mom made dinner for you. She used to experiment with various healthy foods. She would sometimes make soup, sometimes porridge, fruit juices etc.
During this time, you and I played without a care in the world. We jumped, we ran, we played on the bed, I would make faces, try to put a rhyme together. I would sometimes lift you up and walk. You would cuddle and sleep in my arm at times listening to the nursery rhymes I sang. I am sure the nursery rhymes are damn good as I cannot credit my singing for anything good. During this while, I also realized that the nursery rhyme with the highest recall for me was “Mary had a little Lamb”.
That’s also because you really loved listening to it.
8-Months young!
Today, you are eight months young. We love you so much that we cannot even explain. You have changed our lives so much for the better. I pray to god to give you good health, happiness and the ability to find your calling as early as possible in life. I would love you to do something that you really enjoy doing and excel at it. Most importantly, we would want to see you grow into a remarkable human being.
Enjoy the next phase of growth Ananya. By the look of it, I think you will start talking before I write my next post!
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