Finally! A Tara post!

I really do let a lot of things go unrecorded with Tara just because I'm always running around these days and never have enough time for important things. She's growing up too fast, knows too much already, and is more and more fun everyday. It's true what they say about second kids - they just learn stuff themselves and you almost don't even know or realize how they're doing it. For example, even though she doesn't talk a lot yet, there's almost nothing you say to her that she doesn't understand. In English, Hindi, or Assamese. She follows instructions completely, even ones given in long sentences. Only if she's in the mood, of course! She does absolutely nothing she doesn't want to. And does absolutely everything she wants to. I feel like I'm at quite a loss with her sometimes because her mind is already so much stronger than mine. Vijay and I really have to develop a way to get across to her and be her parents! She'll teach us, I guess:-)

Anyway, although her spoken vocabulary is still limited, the two words she does know very well are "park" and "jhoola" or rather "dhoola." In Tara's world, the only reason anyone would get dressed and wear shoes is to go the park to sit on the dhoola. She's always ready to go downstairs and never ready to come back up, no matter how many hours she spends swinging away. The sadness with which she cries when she has to leave is true and heartfelt! And of course, without a well developed sense of time, she's ready, in fact begging to go downstairs at any time of day or night...so she looks at you when you get her into her night suit and asks you very matter of fact if you'd like to go to the park. No? Dhoola? No? Really? Huh...then why am I changing? Sleep? Strange.

For now at least, Tara is all about the simple pleasures. The joy of peeling a label off a bottle, taking batteries out of a remote, pulling wipes out of a box, switching on light switches, switching off ma's TV from the main power point, dropping things from the balcony and watching them go down - that beats material happiness, don't you think? And when she's in the mood for something with more of an edge to it, there's always the race of a chase, to which I'm mostly the unwilling participant. I'm often seen chasing a hysterically giggling toddler with a diaper or a fresh pair of pyjamas in my hands. Or with arms outstretched for a bottle of liquid headed floor-wards or a katori or spoon headed off the balcony.

Never a dull day in this household! She's sleeping as I write this, but the madness starts very soon:-) 

Happy Birthday!

Dear Vir,

After all the waiting and countdowns and dreaming about your birthday, you finally turned 4! I spent the eve of your birthday reliving the time that I was expecting you and the day that you were born. You really changed my life that day little one. I wonder if you'll ever realize how much you're responsible for shaping me. Almost as much as I am for shaping you, I guess.

You've had one hell of a year. Your third birthday was in nana nani's house when we were waiting to leave for the US. I remember your excitement about going there and your struggle to settle into everything new that was thrown at you when you arrived. I still have a video of you saying, in perfect Hindi, that you don't like America at all. That may have been the last sentence you spoke in Hindi by the way! The speed with which you picked up English is absolutely amazing. What is even funnier is that you refuse to go back to Hindi and just recently told your dad that he's Assam but you're English!

Just when you were settling into your new life and school, we were all thrown by your nani's illness and life changed very suddenly for you. I'm sorry that I had to leave you the way I did. But you really did me proud the way you handled yourself those two weeks without me. You were super then and also throughout the next few difficult months. We really did put you through a lot of changes for a not even 4 year old kiddo and again, you made us proud.

Anyway, you're back now in your beloved Vatika City. I won't lie to you - I'm really waiting for you to start school. A 4 year old boy can really tire his mom you know! When you're not making me scream in frustration at your antics though, you're really amazing me with how much you know, the way you think, the way you reason, and the way your argue your point of view. I think your ability to think things through also makes you very fair minded and generous. As much as a 4 year old can possibly be anyway:-) And what an amazing brother you're becoming. You really do love that little brat - she makes you happy and she adores you too. She copies your every move you know. We could really use that to our advantage, don't you think? Perhaps you could stop teaching her how to spit, scream, and make me mad?

Oh well, at least try!

I hope you have an amazing year ahead, my little superman. It's going to be a big one, especially since you're starting big school! So go forth and conquer and know that you make us happy every single day.

Love,
Mamma

So this is how it's going to be!

Me: Alright Vir, time to go to bed.

Vir: Noooooo. Nahiiii. 

Tara: (always the copycat) Nahiiiii.

Vir: Good job Tara. Say no to mamma. High five! You're my best friend and my girl!

(Big hugs all around while mamma tries to hide a smile.)