Just saw this beautifully made inspiring video by Times Of India. Whatever be the underlying motive of the video, I simply love it. Am unable to express the emotions this is bringing inside me. The little boy with such innocence, strength and confidence goes all alone to lift the fallen tree while those capable and equipped find alternatives. Its about taking the initiative, taking the first step in the right direction without worrying about the outcome. Rest would follow automagically. Shankar Ehsaan Loy does complete justice to the song.

Viewing something like this brings in a surge of energy, everything around looks beautiful, everything looks doable if attempted. The challenge is to continue having the immediate feeling this gives, days after it is forgotten…

Though this video is about India, it can be extended to humanity. If only we take the first step and those few moments to look around…

Like every other week day, I put Dlittle in the car seat and drove to D’s school to pick her up. I think it was a Thursday, not too sure. D hadn’t eaten lunch properly 2 out of the previous days. I was at the peak of anger, talking to myself while driving. That, this is the end of my patience, her lunch box better be empty or atleast half done, else today would be her last day of pre-schooling. She can stay home and go to school when she hits 5. You know, its like this. When you have tried various methods to get a job done and fail miserably one attempt after another, it is very difficult to articulate. Enough is enough, I just couldn’t take it no more. Deep down I knew I wasn’t going to take this drastic step, though the thought seemed to satisfy the failing mind at that moment.

I reach her school, first thing I do is feel her lunch box. The weight, I mean. Sure, it was HEAVY! Even before it registered to the mind that I was still within the school and not in the comfort of my own house, I yelled at her – D, you did not eat lunch again today? Looks like you did not eat snack either? I mellowed down the very next minute, outwardly that is. Inside I was fuming with anger. So much that I kept quiet, walked back to the car and drove back home.

We reached home, I still did not talk anything, neither did D. She knew I was not happy, also no energy left in her as there had been no intake the whole day. At the least, that is what I thought. I got out of the car to unbuckle her and was shocked to see she was not belted. My daughter’s not eating lunch leading to weight loss upsets me on one end, the other end I forget to put her seat belt. I was shocked, but in that grumpy mood all I could manage was yet another session of yelling. Why did you not tell me to put your seat belt.

My eyes were all teary while we stepped into the house. D came close, hugged me and said – I am sorry mumma. Don’t be sad. I will eat tomorrow. This girl knows how to play me, she definitely does. Still, that was enough for the weeks pent up anger to melt like butter in less than a minute. I hugged her tight and asked her in a very low and loving tone, Why did you not eat sweetu? She said, D’s mommy got pizza, I ate that. I am not sure how much of that is true, but for that day we mushed up and she ate her dinner without making any fuss.


The next day while driving her to school, I am telling to myself, never again I will do this. Its way too dangerous. What if I forget to put the seat belt on little D! God! I started talking to D,

Me: Hey D, you know yesterday I forgot to put your seat belt.
D: Yes, mumma.
Me: Sorry beta, mummy was very sad. You know why, because you did not finish your lunch na. Thats why. I was so sad and angry thats I forgot to put your seat belt cweetu…
D: Thats ok mumma. Its okaiy.
Me: [hmm.. She is a big girl now]..
Me: Hey, maybe next time I forget to put it, you can tell me – mumma, you forgot my seat belt. ok?
D: okaiy.

Just then it struck, why not make this a game, something fun, something that will make her tell it out loud in case I ever forget again. That evening when I picked her up, purposefully did not put the belt. I came to the drivers seat, started the car and exclaimed in a shocking tone:

Me: Oh my goodness, D! Guess what happened.
D: What happened?
Me: I forgot to put your seat belt, betu. Thats not good.. Thats not good..
D: yes mumma. You forgot. Oh my goodness, mumma.
Me: hmm.. You can get hurt when you are not belted. Thats why I wear it, Dlittle wears it, everyone in the car wears it. Next time if I forget, you tell me ok?
D: okaiy.

Some days I belt her, come to the drivers seat and start asking

Me: Is my daughter wearing seat belt?
D: Yes, mumma.
Me: Are my two two daughters wearing seat belt?
D: Yes, mumma. Both both your daughters are wearing seat belt.
Me: The big girl and the small girl? Are you sure?
D: Yes.

Few times into doing this, it was that day for me to purposefully forgot to belt her.
Even before I started the car, my little one exclaimed, just as I wished,
Oh, you forgot my seat belt, Mumma! Not good, Mumma!

Papa enters the house in the evening.
Papa: Where’s my daughter?
D : Hiding! Here papa, in the kitchen.
Papa: Oh. I found you. My little daughter..
[After some time]…
Papa: How was your day?
D : What?
Papa: How was your day in school. What did you do in school? Had fun?
D : Yes papa, I had fun. Lot of. I pushed H in the bathroom and pinched A.
Papa: huh? What did you just say?
D : Which school did you go? How was your day in your school?
Papa: hmm.. My school. It was good. I went to meet Mr. X and gave a presentation of our company product.
hey, why are you changing topic, smarty? What did you say you did in school?
D : What you saying papa?

**********

D: Mumma, can you do me a favorite?
Me: huh? Favorite. Oh Favor, sure beta, bolo.
D: Not favor, favorite. Look at my mouth. FA-VO-RITE. Like this only you should say. okaiy mumma.

**********

D: boda guda shoda [some gibberish talks..]
Me: Whats that?
D: When I was small girl, then I used to talk like this only mumma.
Me: Oh, I see.
D: Yes, mumma. Very funny.

**********
Me: D, how long is it taking for you to finish half an apple.
D: But its not yummy. I can eat Parlor G [Parle G] maybe, maybe chips. Yes, mumma?
Me: Look, if you eat healthy food, you will become tall, tall like papa. If you eat junk food then you’ll become short like Dlittle baby. Its up to you, but then if you can’t reach the top of the book shelf, don’t feel bad, ok ?
D: [Munches on the apple a little more, then climbs on the weighing machine]. Mumma, look how tall AM ARE.
Me: Look at you. wow!
[Yes, the weighing machine tells her how tall. I tried explaining, no success yet].


Another related incident…
Me and Papa: [Munching on chips..]
D: Mumma, you eating junk food? You want to become small baby?
Me: hmm.. uh.. hmm.. Sometimes.. once in a while.. you can eat…
Ah ha! Oh, mummy is already tall na betu, thats why I can eat a little. When you will become as tall, then you can eat maybe. yeah?
D: No mumma, you are short tall, papa is big tall. Only papa can eat, you cannot eat, ok mumma.
Me: [Hiding my face..]
**********
First thing when we wake up in the morning, we usually wish each others a Good morning and then..
Papa: Everyone had a good sleep?
Me: nahi yaar. This chutki keeps walking up in the night. I had a disturbed sleep.
Papa: Yeah right! I could hear you snore even after shutting my ears with cotton balls.
Me: Hey, lets get the record straight. I DON’T snore, ok.. I do but only when I am very very tired. ok.. I am tired all the time.. Whatever! look at my eyes, you see these dark circles under the eye, they are the proof that I don’t get enough sleep. Everything has become a joke for you.
D: I did not sleep well, mumma. I am very tired. Look at my eyes, look at. Red.
Papa: [Laughs..]
D: Its not funny, papa.
Note to self: Watch out for the little monster before uttering anything.
**********

The mommy bloggers started off the week with a lot of enthusiasm. Kodi’s mom executed the plan flawlessly to hand deliver the printed messages we all put together for the loving lady. The loving lady as always swept us off our feet by connecting the experience with the divine. Speechless!!

While we are happily cozily wrapped up in the warmth, the positive energy virally spreading through this group, somewhere there some vicious ones are busy spreading venom. Well, we are a mixed bag, there are all sorts of people in the world, we are all different in some way or the other. Some are colorful, some are cheerful, some not so but sweet, some are both sour and sweet. But then, every now and then there are one or two that are plain rotten, there is no point trying to fix those, going near them will make us rot too. Its up to us to stay away from the rotten one’s and continue to do what we believe in. Its my view anyways!!

The positive energy surpasses the negativity, isn’t it. Such is the energy. It just got proved yet another time. As long as this equation holds true, this world will continue to be a good place to live. Every such incident only makes us more wiser, a little more cautious and gets the community a little more closer !

!! Here’s three cheers to all the mommy bloggers !!


Alright, coming back to the birthday bash, I had already sent an email to the birthday girl as my little one was sick and wasn’t sure if I would have the time to blog that day. She found mine in a glance anyways. Such was the clue. *wink*

This post is for you D, who helped make the card. When you grow up and are old enough to read, for you to know that you have always been mommies little helper. Thankyou sweetie. And for the records, here is T Aunty’s comments on your painting –

Page 11 : Man! This painting belongs in the Guggenheim. Seriously. The Dimple Girl and the nightingale’s sister really have serious talent! Thanks DDMom.

After impulsively proposing to do a hand written message, drawing, I was breaking my head as to what I should do. I tried drawing something depicting a mona lisa smile, well.. needless to say where it went. D just came from school and we sitting in the living room talking about the day. It suddenly hit me. Paint -> D -> paint. Oh sure, why did that not hit me? I had to talk D into it, as always she had a zillion question.

Me: D, can you help mummy paint a birthday card for my friend.
D: Who is your friend? Whats her name?
Me: T aunty.
D: But my friends are A, R didi.
Me: hmm… But if you paint for my friend, she will be very happy.
D: okaiy!

ok, ok, that was a 4 minute conversation compressed into 4 lines, but thats the gist of it! How much the kids understand happiness, ’she will he happy’ is all I had to say. Another friends birthday was around the corner. She painted 2 sheets one after the other and now has associated that set of sheets with birthday cards. Just the other day she sounded bored and I asked her if she wanted to paint. She immediately responded – Your friend’s birthday, mumma? hmm..

This is the original she painted.

This is after merging my hand written message and the painting.

This is after editing the second time as the first one was a little too squarish to fit into a 4 x 6.

Starting her on solids has been there on my agenda for quite some time. Her pediatrician, Dr. J, at first recommended to wait until 6 months, but then she seemed convinced after hearing to Dlittle’s feeding schedules and the fact that she reduced from 60th percentile to the 40th percentile.
Dlittle’s feeds last hardly 2 minutes, 4 minutes the max. She doesn’t seem to get hungry soon enough either. Happy go child, does not cry for milk. Only time she cries is when she is sleepy OR when she doesn’t see me around. It gets worse when D comes back from school. The minute her sister enters the house until the sleep time, Dlittle refuses to feed, she just wants to stick her tongue out and keep smiling and giggling with her sister. I love love to see the two playing and talking together, but the little one refusing to feed gets onto me.
Before I deviate from the intent of the post, I guess I just felt the urge to start her on solids. Well.. the thing is.. my mom did all this with D. By the time I took over, D was well over 9 months and eating three meals a day. My thought was to start the process, by the time anything will actually hit her stomach, she would be 6 months!

November 9th was D’s birthday. Deepavali fell on the same day as well. What better day! I had D feed Dlittle a teeny bit of the peda I had made. This was going to be the annapraashan. In our tradition, bua[fathers sister] is supposed to feed the first solid, ain’t happening in this case, so the next best option was chosen. The next two days we were partying, so the real first solid was on the following Monday. D’s school was off for Veteran’s day, papa had gone to work. We three started the project.Put Dlittle in the bouncer, D helped me with putting the bib. This bib her papa had got her when Dlittle was a few days old. Though D can’t read as of yet, she knows the bib reads – I love my big sister At first she refused to let go of the bib, claiming it was hers and papa got it for her. After some talking, she herself came forward to put the bib onto the little one.

I took a deep breath and we got started. We had boiled and cooled the filtered water. We had washed the sterilizer, sterilized the bottles, bowls and spoons. One bowl had the gerber rice cereal mixed with formula. The second bowl had water. D insisted on feeding her first. The little sister had sensed something was about to happen and was getting all hyper. Her cooing and gurgling got louder and louder. The first spoon with a teeny bit of cereal went into her mouth. Me and D were looking at her not knowing what to expect. The little one made that ugly face and then phurrrrrrrrr…. it was spit back onto mine and D’s face. Was enough for the sissy to move couple of feet away. I rolled up my sleeves and took the second chance. Dlittle kept making faces, at the same time seemed like she was chewing and eating as well. But to my surprise, the one spoon of cereal I had started with still had one spoon of cereal. I would put the cereal inside her mouth, with the same spoon I would take the one that comes out when she closes her mouth. Feed that right back. ok, I know it sounds gross when I put it in print, but really its not. Every time I did this, it got diluted with her salaiva. Started to feel this was going to be a never ending project. Somehow in about 1/2 hour the bowl was empty, although her bib measured as much as the bowl with the cereal.

She loves water. After the bowl of cereal is empty, she gulps the one ounce of water in a matter of minutes. If I take more then 2 seconds to fetch the next spoonful of water, she is already bending forward in the bouncer hanging her head down trying to reach for it.