mamma's lil love letter to you....

I have held you in my arms & promised myself never to let go

When I looked at you & you looked back at me I was so happy
Each time I placed my finger on your palm & you closing your tiny fingers around my finger was more security for me than for you.
Everytime you call out to me....maaammmmaaaaa..........I feel a joy I cannot express to this day
The big hugs and tight kisses are oxygen for my daily survival.

If I have one reason to come back home it has to be you..........
If I have one priceless moment I won't let anyone take away from me is to be by your side when you wake up & smile.

That is how important your being is for me.
Each time I say, "Aisha I love you"......and when you respond with a, "I love you mamma" ....its......an inexplainable feeling

Aishuneeeee.....puppieeeee..............kukuneeeee........lotsa love....hugs.....kisses & all thing bright & beautiful............All I could ever wish for......I wish for you......and your little sibling to be :-)

Mamma loves you BIG!!!!!!

cares unspoken.....yet answered

T'was a nice weekend that I spent at mom's place.....

Guess Aisha realises that I love going over to mom's place and her enthusiasm from the moment I announce that we have to go to her Nana's place makes the visit to mom's even more fun.

Mom and dad get to meet Aisha over these weekend stayovers or when mom n dad visit our place for just a bit. My mom n dad live by themselves.......courtesy Me & my brother....

Me...:Well I got married like any other girl & had to move out to live with my husband.

My brother....lives in the US

So......since the time Aisha was born it was a new reason for their existence...

When purchasing fruits.......papa buys two papayas.....cause his potli girl will ask," you bought only one papaya papa????"

Mom goes shopping for random stuff for her home & picks up things for her babunee....nighties, pillow covers...cute lil inners....socks......raincoats.....petticoats.....cherries....choclates...etc etc..the list is endless.

I also remember mom n dad having fights on how to feed her..."mash the rice well".......dad would advise....& mom would frown back....."I know!! this is not the first time I'm feeding a baby" :-)

Well....all for the love they have for their grandchild.....

While on this weekend visit Aisha went up to mom & said....."Nana when u become very old.....I'll come and stay with you...ok"

Mom was touched ofcourse but more than that totally taken aback at the profound statement her lil princess had made...

As she asked me why Aisha made such a statement I didn't know the answer but mumbled something to mom and in my mind I kept wondering.... it was as if.....Aisha knew all the anguish I was going through about my lonely parents.....and that she wanted to let me & my parents know.....that she is aware & she will be there!

to this day i have come to realise the many bonds that motherhood creates....

I love you Aisha.

Girl Power Prevails

And the mystery was unfolded when Deepa, my sis-in-law delivered her first baby on 28th September'2011
A sweet little baby girl......
Something about babies born on 28th September.......the first one was my lil Aarushi :-) pinkest,prettiest...puppy girl.

Wel....my niece was pink too......like any other baby who's gone through the ordeal of a natural birth and the striking resemblance she had with her father was amazing! Not that we doubted whether she'd ever look her dad but the whole thing surrounding pregnancy, birth and the similarities they have to family members is just a miracle.

Well, I must say that Deepa was blessed with a very fine & peaceful pregnancy. What more can you expect when you have mom ke haath ka bana khaana......a lil niece like Aisha who's a delight to look at.......just 30 minutes of travel to work.....that too to & fro.....add to that a vehicle pick up from just accross the street. Now, that's really something preggy women would look forward to in the busy hustle bustle of Mumbai. What's was even better was her labour!
27th September, 11:15pm....her water bursts......11:25pm she's inside the hospital..........12:00pm she is into mild labour.........28th September 1:59am....she delivers a healthy baby girl! Lo! and we never thought she'd have such a smooth & quick delivery. But.....some people get things real good!

So.....
The chinese calendar went wrong..........& my prediction came true.
Deepa had a girl.......& she's one kid who's here as a surprise package cos other than her dad & her aunt (which is me) nobody expected Deepa to get a baby girl.
Leaving the boys for the second round......Girl power prevails! .......Girls rule......Girls Rock!!!.....

Morning Glory

This is to my morning glory......my Smiley Aisha.

well.....
wake up time is probably not the most endearing time one would spend with kids.....
it consists of loads of prodding, tickling, pulling, carrying straight into the bathroom etc etc....
but with Aisha.....it's always been waking her up to see her smile.
may have to do with the wake up regime that we follow with her.....love filled calls of Aishuuneeee....kukkuuu......some amount of tickling in the way that she likes.....
but i don't think that should take away the credit from her of being such a delight to wake up.

When she was little....she'd call out..."mammaaaaa.........& with those tiny fingers curling up calling...."ummmm....ummmm" (Read come...come)

Well...she still calls out to mamma and many a times to her dada as well............
the "ummmm" has now been replaced by "Come" and the fingers don't curl up to beckon anymore..

Nevertheless Aisha is a delight to wake up to........and a delight to wake up too....

Our Morning Glory.

Watching Aisha in her random moments

First Make up ......
When she managed to lay her hands on her nana's lipstick....mom says she warned me as a kid whenevr i touched her dressing table but all she did when she saw Aisha like this was laugh :-) motherhood changes a lot of things......grandmotherhood changes you!

first face painting experience.

Aisha's first ICC world Cup & India won it. Aisha was the lucky mascot that evening. "Mamma I also want India flag on my face she said"

Toys go OUT.....Aisha's in the box!!!

Counts to Calmdown

Clam down Annette...calm down....it's just a passing phase!

Attended a Time & Stress Management Workshop about 5 years ago.....
Recollected some supposed to be useful tips.....

Tips to control a temper outburst ....
count backwards from 30 to 1........else count backwards from 100 to 1 if your temper is at an all time high!

Tips to beat stress
Breathe in....breathe out...
Now think colours as you breathe in & breathe out......
breathe in soft, subtle colours & breathe out the blacks & greys

While trying to meditate
Close your eyes....chant the "OM"

But guys & gals............get someone practise it first. Because I certainly can't vouch for it :-P
Too lazy to follow tips.........for me Just one thing works........0 minutes of silence.......2 hours of cribbing & abusing......4 whole days of sulking.....1 night of crying..........1 day of fasting......& at the end of it all.....
5 minutes of silent prayer.
Now I just need to reverse the order to set things right.........& I can definitely vouch for 5 minutes of silent prayer!

And....the Cup is OURS!

Well….what a wonderful display of cricket! India defeating Australia in the Quarter Finals..the best outcome of the match was that India was to play Pakistan. WOWWW!!! Who doesn’t love watching India play Pakistan????And when India win……it’s like a dream coming true….a dream every Indian dreams of.
Then came the triumph over the Lankans & India were declared the winners of the ICC World Cup 2011.

And as all the action took place……..each Indian experienced only one emotion….Joy!
Class……Colour…Creed….Religion…Gender…Age .........no bar!

Just like many would have done….Manish, me & Aisha huddled up at a friends place to watch the grand finale of the World Cup. Preparations were all done & how! A hookah, Crates of Beer, a dhol, crackers, a trumpet, whistles & the best part……a chini chef! Serving some yummy Chinese delicacies as everyone watched the match……& we watched like we’d die if we missed a single wicket of the Lankans going down…..& cheered every single run our batsmen took like our lives depended on it.

One girl from the group…Khushboo, I cannot forget her for her sheer enthusiasm & her constant reminders to us to do away with any negative emotion for the day, “The CUP is OURS” she exclaimed at every interval!

Two gentlemen, one of whom was ofcourse my husband…..played the Dhol non-stop. The dhol turned out to be a lucky mascot eventually…….It was brought out post the fall of the Viru’s & Tendulkar’s &….it’s as though the dhol had some connection because as long as the dhol played the Indian score board kept ticking!!!

& While all this was happening, the sabse happening thing was hamari raani bitiya Aisha, who was at her bestest behavior that day. Equipped with a whistle around her neck, Aisha did complete justice & joined the cheering everytime we all got up to cheer every boundary, every no ball, every wide ball…..every misfield, every run....then into the 50’s, 100’s …………I think the group was cheering just about everything about the match  & Aisha cheered with us all through.
Somewhere maybe into half of the second innings, she came up to me & said something very softly in my ear & I literally jumped with joy when I heard that she wanted an Indian flag on her face :-) (the Others had painted their faces too) & her wish was granted.


India only played better & better and the fate of the World Cup was sealed! The Cup was indeed OURS! Amidst shouts of joy, crackers, dancing, screaming the CUP was lifted by the Indians leaving each & every Indian PROUD!!!! Sachin Tendulkar…. The GOD of cricket hoisted & carried around the ground, each & every team member proclaiming that they played & won the Cup for Sachin was so touching….. ….I was totally, completely and emotionally drained at the end of it. It was a memorable night! I have goose bumps as I write this very bit.


The celebrations began (hamare nahin.....but it was the turn of the Indian team now) ……the group dispersed to their respective homes and just as my heart started beating normally I realized I was hungry & we headed for some more Chinese (I could barely eat what the chini chef served)

Good decision to step out into the roads…………what an experience it was! People on their bikes in multiples of 3 & cars overflowing with people seated on the windows………, Flags hoisted high…….replicas of the World Cup erected onto the cars………shouts of whoohoooo……and INDIAAAAAAAA………….INDIAA……………

It was so much fun even Aisha refused to sit down to dinner since she was so fascinated by the cheering crowds and seemed like she just couldn’t get enough of it. In the end………as we rode back home……soaked in high spirits……….we reciprocated the cheers of each passing bike & car……& came accross people beaming with joy ! expressing sheer happiness over the Glory brought to the nation by our Indian lads!

The Cup is OURS! So…thanks to the Indian team for this WIN…..a win we will all cherish for our life time & for the memories that we will carry forward of having witnessed a phenomenon in the Final of the ICC World Cup 2011.