Already?!

Tara is constantly amazing me with the stuff she's up to! I don't really remember the timing of Vir's early milestones and have to keep referring back to this blog for that, but I'm pretty sure that Tara is doing some of this stuff sooner than he did. She's already being able to make her way across the bed in a really random combination of crawling and creeping and frog jumping and rolling accompanied by lots of noise and has been doing this for almost a month now! In fact, I'm not proud to report that she has already fallen off the bed once. I just didn't see it coming. I left her on the bed for a minute thinking she's my little infant who is still totally safe on the bed and when I came back, she was on the floor. It was horrible, but brave little girl that she is, she was smiling almost the second I picked her up!

She has also recently started reaching out for things that are held out in front of her. Which, of course, opens up a world of options for her to put in her mouth. Because in Tara's world, things have only one purpose - to be tasted! I'm looking forward to when I can give her real food and also really hoping she actually eats what I give her and saves me round II of the torture that Vir is putting me through these days.

I'll report that when it happens. For now, I just watch her with wonder as she troops along, learning new and wonderful things everyday and overwhelming us with gratitude that she can and that we're lucky enough to be witness to her miracles.

New Age Ram

This week's theme at Vir's school is the Ramayan and theatre or some sort of the mix of the two. So, for show and tell today, I gave Vir a mask of Ram and a gadda. This is our conversation about the stuff I gave him:

Me: Vir, ye dekh....Bhagwan Ram.
Vir: Bhagwan Ram kya karte hain?
Me: Bhagwan Ram bahut achche hain aur logon ki help karte hain
Vir: Bhagwan Ram kaunsi car mein aate hain? (oh the mental image!)

And...

Me: Yeh dekh Vir...gadda...
Vir: Ye kiska hai?
Me: Bhagwan Hanuman ka...isse woh gande logon ko marte hai (I really didn't know what else to say)
Vir: Main unko bolooonga...."aise thodi hota hai, hanu bhagwan....isko mat maro...yeh meri friend hai." (all his learning getting mixed up!)

Show and tell should be interesting today!!

You know how I said that Tara can get a degree in making noise? She's managed to gurgle so loudly over the last couple of days that she has actually lost her voice!! It's so funny...she's making this thick, grown up gurgling sound now, because of course, a minor thing like a lost voice isn't actually going to stop her from speaking her mind. That's my girl!

If Tara could read this blog, she'd think she doesn't exist, for all that I've written of her! Or maybe she did read this blog and has stopped sleeping at night just to get back at me. Seriously though, I had great intentions of writing monthly updates for her, just as I did for Vir. That was before I knew what happens to your life when you have two kids. I had well meaning friends try to warn me before she came that I should brace myself and that life with two is a lot crazier than life with one. I heard them out but didn't really know what to do with that information. She was coming and that's what I wanted and that's all there was to it. Then she arrived, and as I posted earlier, she was a total angel doing amazing things like putting herself to sleep and taking four hour naps making me think my well meaning friends were quite wrong and that my baby was really easy and very considerate. Notice how I use the past tense in this last sentence? That's because THIS HAS ALL ENDED. SUDDENLY. She no longer sleeps. She simply doesn't sleep. All day. And I'm still to get used to this new situation.

I really can't complain though, because though the sleeping little angel is a thing of the past, what has replaced her is even more lovable. She wakes up in the morning and greets me with a huge grin that lights up everything. She stretches and turns and rolls and curls herself as if she's so tired from her multiple duties. She rolls over and looks up so surprised that the world has suddenly changed its direction and everything is new all over again. Then she decides she likes this new way and grins again. Of course, this soon gets old and she starts making a noise to be turned back, which she hasn't figured out how to do herself yet. She knows how to make noise. In fact, she can get a degree in making noise. Happy noise...that's the noise you make when you're happy and you want everyone to know it. That's what she does for the most part, but she's also getting really really good at making the unhappy noise...that's the noise you make when you want mommy. She may be getting noisy but she still has the knack for knowing just when I'm having a tough time and supports me fully by falling asleep and staying out of my hair. She's also super brave and doesn't make a fuss over little things. Not even over big things unless you really cross the line.

It's a miracle to watch her unfold a little bit at a time. I can't wait! I'm so impatient that even though I can't wait for her to fall asleep because I have things to do, I also can't wait for her to wake up the next time so I can see what she'll be up to. Of course, it doesn't take much for her to wake up at any time because we have our helpful little waker upper in the form of little Vir - always ready to go up to her sleeping little body, shake it, and say, "Tara....tu so rahi hai?" She'll figure out a way to get back at him for this eventually, I'm sure. In the meanwhile, my sympathies are with you little one...I know how it is to be woken up when you want to sleep:-)

Me: What's your name?
Vir: Vir Gogoi
Me: And what's papa's name?
Vir: Papa Gogoi
Me: And mamma's name?
Vir: Mamma Gogoi
Me: No, it's not Mamma Gogoi!
Vir: Mummy Gogoi?

Seriously, where do they learn to be so cute?!

Sure sign that Vijay is on too many office calls

Vir: Meri sandals mil gayee (I found my sandals)
Me:Kahan se? (from where?)
Vir: Meeting room se (from the meeting room)
Me: Meeting room kaunsa hai? (which one is the meeting room?)
Vir: Woh...jahaan papa computer dekhte rehte hain, or hello karte rehte
hain (the one where papa is always looking at his computer and saying hello on the phone)

Once again, there's too much to write

So much has happened since I last posted. Vir and Tara had their first Rakhi together, which was great. Tara turned three months old. Vir and Tara's older cousin brother came to stay with us for a few days. And we all took our first holiday together as a family. I wish I had recorded these things as they happened because there's lots of stuff I've now forgotten, but this blog is used to long periods of silence and my kids will eventually get used to my laziness and procrastination. Who knows, they might even use me as their role model and then we have nothing to worry about!

So anyway, the first Rakhi went off well...if you define well as I do anyway. I wasn't expecting much since Vir hates to have anything tied on his wrist. It's one of those toddler things that I think will eventually go away. I made sure he was really excited about Rakhi a few days before the big day, when he got his first Rakhi from a cousin in Dehradun. It came by courier and the envelope had his name on it and the card was beautiful and so was the rakhi, so it was easy to get him pepped. In fact, I think he was over excited about the whole thing because he came to me at least 10-15 times a day asking to look at the rakhi that didi had sent for him. Each time he asked, I stopped whatever I was doing and took the rakhi out of the drawer and spent time oohing and aahing at it with Vir. I might as well not have bothered though. He fooled me into thinking that all this excitement would mean that he would actually let Tara and me tie his rakhis on his wrist. He didn't. I guess it didn't help that the wire from the end of one of his rakhis accidentally touched his skin as was winding it around his wrist. This led my delicate little flower to start screaming loudly and insist that the weapon be removed from his hand. Later, he told me that the reason he gave up on the entire rakhi ceremony was because it hurt him. Probably the only kid ever to think that he was attacked by a rakhi. See:

Anyway, just because we didn't actually manage to tie and keep the rakhi for the stipulated amount of time (what is that, by the way?), doesn't mean it wasn't filled with emotion for me at least. I just loved the sight of the two of them together on a day that is special for brothers and sisters. I hope and hope and hope that they have a great relationship growing up. That they always watch out for each other, that they protect each other from evil forces (aka parents), that they fight over who gets to choose the music we play in the car, that they get to go for tennis or swimming lessons together and laugh at each others' moves, that Vir helps Tara with her Maths and that Tara comes home from school with Vir stories to share, that they share books and laughs and midnight treats and secrets and all the things that make this relationship so special just the way mine was and is to me. Too many expectations laden with stereotypes? Perhaps but they're fun to think about anyway. I do know that Vir is being a fantastic brother already. He just loves Tara. No matter how cranky or irritable he is, he breaks out into a smile when he looks at his Tara-Para! My challenge every day is to prevent him from smothering her completely with his hugs and kisses. Nice problem to have, I guess.

Anyway, lots more to write but that's for a later time since the brat is almost ready to be picked up from school. Another few minutes and the peace in this house will be replaced by sounds of cars being banged on tables, tricycles being run over dogs, and little sisters being smothered by over affectionate toddler kisses.

Where's my mug of bournvita?