Aayush Homam - for the second Birthday

I have long since wanted to update what has been happening with Ammu and details about her Birthday Celebrations.
To recap a little, we were in New Jersey when Ammu was 9 months old.Her first Birthday was just a small affair, and we were a total of four people who graced the celebrations.My sister  and her husband, who were in New Jersey were the only guests at our small party, with a small Mango Cake from Hotbreads on 30Aug2011.
We wanted to celebrate one Birthday with family and friends, since the first Birthday was too simple.Hence, we set a date for the Birthday celebration party and all the family were about to make it then.We set the date on 8 September 2012, which fell on a Saturday.
Ammu wore a beautiful pink frock and looked like a princess.There was a lot of crying later though, as the dress was very uncomfortable in the very hot and sticky weather.It was the time to meet up with the cousins and friends of the family.
It is July 2013 already and Ammu is going to be 3 years soon.All I can think of while writing this is "How time flies by!"

Dear Ammu - Happy Birthday Letter from Amma

Dear Ammu,
Congratulations on crossing the 2 year old milestone.I have seen your progress in these two years with fascination and wonder and some things will never cease to amaze me.You were so small in my hands on the day you were born.Now you run around and have started having meaningful talk with everyone.
I am realizing that the time is soon coming when you will readily let go of my hands to experience new things,ever more interesting and intriguing than before.I know that you think I know the answer to every question in the world.I am still learning a lot of things just as you are.Thank you for giving me the chance to be your mother.And I really hope that I am with you during all those special moments when you need me.I want to tell you that this world is surely a very bright place which is filled with Princes and white horses and all such things.But it is not fully so as you will learn by yourself.I am also afraid in turns that you do not encounter the big bad wolves out there.
I want to teach you about hope,compassion and all the love that is still there in this world.Find them within yourself as they will give you a lasting road to happiness.Do not let anger and hate to rule your life.It is so easy to do so,but that will never bring you joy.
You will have many opportunities to meet people,to judge and know them.Every year will bring new things for you to learn and grow.My love for you will always be there.So will my prayers that you grow into a balanced human being who gets the chance to do what you love the most.

Always with Love
Amma
Wishing you a very happy Birthday

So little of patience.....And such a long way to go

As Ammu embarks on her journey of learning about new things and taking on new scenes,my patience as a mother is sorely tested time and again.I often wonder, how our parents managed to answer our questions without ever tiring.As a mother,it is a great joy to catch my little one being so curious and inquisitive and wanting to know about the world around her,every passing minute.
Every time we go out,she points out to each and every passing vehicle and person and keeps asking "Idhu" meaning "tell me what this is called?".I always walk out with a water of bottle with me to give her some,when she is thirsty.Most of the time,even I end up drinking from it,to keep on answering all her questions.
As a mother,I find myself becoming more patient and prepared to tackle her questions and look at everything from her view.The world and the people in it seem rather exciting and I always try to give bright views of everything we see daily.She already knows Hyundai, Santro, Maruti, Auto,Bus, in which her Appa goes, and  is steady on her way up the learning curve.
All of us as parents are having to remind ourselves that the patience which we so invest by answering these questions of our little ones,will not only help them be more informed and take in their surroundings.It will also have the effect of giving us the chance to relearn things and take note of some,which we took for granted before.
To give me and all the other moms in this world a little more patience,is one of the top things I ask for in my prayers list and I am sure you will understand why :)

The joy of watching flowers....

We were in Calcutta for about a month with our daughter.The stay was at the office guest house.I was fully free to spend all my time with Ammu.That is usually what we call her now.She has started repeating a lot of words,understands and says the right word at the right time.Hearing her talk like this is a joy for us parents,who can't still get over how small she was and how she has grown these past few months.

We used to go for long walks to the park.We were in the Salt Lake area and each of these sectors had their huge parks.The houses on either sides of the road were big and well built with the look of wealth and had lot of plants and flowers,due to the rich soil in that area.As I recall,during each of these walks,Ammu used to point out "poo" and say "Aiga",which translated from tamil means "flowers" and "beautiful". It was when she pointed out at those flowers that I noticed,how easy it was to bring her joy with such little things.And further more,when had I started being so cynical, that I did not have the time to look at those beautiful flowers.
She used to stop on the road and exclaim over each a every flower.We have come back from Calcutta and I am still having those precious memories making me smile.

It is indeed a joy watching my "poo Kutti"( flower girl) watching over flowers.......

What is all this about?

I am a stay at home mom for the moment.Everyday brings something new for me to learn and experience with my little daughter,who is going to be 2 years soon.I notice how I often pay attention to a lot of small things,which I never did before.Sure there seem to be a lot of challenges on my way to parenthood.I cannot get over the wonder of having the chance to watch my little one grow and spread her wings under my eyes.I try to be her rock for all those things,which are hard to do,in her eyes.And though I try to be just and set an example,I seem affected by all the things and get sad,angry and frustrated at times,about how there are so many things which she has to learn on her own,like human nature,the need to communicate,
I know that there are a lot of stay at home moms there,who are just coming to realize that parenting is a 24/7  non paying job...And all the more so,when you are at home and in charge of every aspect of your child.As I write in this blog.I want to share my experience as her mother and look at the world through her  eyes!