The cow didnt go anywhere..

The central character in Sid’s life is not his mom or dad or even his grandparents.. its THE COW!

It all started when I left him in Coimbatore with my parents and left to London for a couple of weeks. He spotted a cow then and used to spend time just watching it.. and ever since the obsession has grown deeper. At the end of our street, there is a vacant land with some huts where we usually find a few cows tied. Sometime back, he used to insist that we take him there so he can just stand and watch the cows. It took us ages to get him off the habit. However, even now, when we drive around in the car, his eyes are constantly searching for them.. and he keeps screaming.. “amma..anga paaru..black and white cow!” whenever he spots one.

So, it is not surprising that his latest pastime involves this divine animal. He is usually found in one of the house corners these days tying the string of a pull-along cart to a small cow toy. The cart was originally intended to carry an apple and be dragged along everywhere but Sid thought of putting it to better use. He calls it his bullock cart and drags it everywhere. On one occasion he was sitting on the cow and riding along! Yesterday, I found him feeding an orange to the cow. Poor hungry cow, he might have thought!

The epic love story between Sid and the cow continues..

 

Sick mommy

Running temperature….am wrapped in a couple of sweaters and a shawl… this is when the entire household seems to collapse… I’m trying to avoid Sid for the fear of him catching the bug … he is clinging to me more than usual and showering me with hugs and kisses…I’m trying to sleep on the couch..but he is refusing to sleep without me.. and constantly checking on me …. am left with no option but to ditch the sofa.. None of my strategies work… weird dilemma!

 

Obsession!

I have always received only one complaint from Sid’s teachers. That its hard to get him to remove his slippers and bag when he enters the class. Earlier he used to cry until all hell broke loose and they had no option but to have him roam around the class with the bag hanging on to his back. I would constantly hear about how I should coach him out of it. I tried having some pep talks with him, but he cared not a bit. After sometime, I just let it go.

Sometime back, I got a copy of the class photo they had taken and I could not stop laughing seeing my boy with his bag on his back gripping his water sipper tight. I, then, understood what the teachers were going through! I’m sure they decided to let him have his way rather than have him yelling and kicking his legs during the photo session.

The latest on the list is he asks for water when he goes to bed and sleeps holding his sipper. If I try to take it away from his hands, he gets really mad! Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night and looks for it and holds it tight.

Silly Sid – what are you actually thinking? Maybe you can share with me when you grow up!

 

The first interview

I was dreading this for months.. Sid’s first interview.

Getting admission into a Bangalore school is a mentally draining process for the parents. There are plenty of schools here, but each one beats the other in cost. If they are relatively reasonable, they are not very close to my house. I had shortlisted only 3 schools from my neighborhood as I am not a big fan of long commutes for kids. Or actually for anyone, in any age! Of these 3, I figured, one school only admitted kids born between June-September (Go figure!). I could only mumble that had I known this a few years earlier, maybe I could have planned this better.

So that left me with 2 schools, one of them started issuing their applications in September, but there was no clarity in what the process is, the only thing that was communicated to confounded parents is that you’ll get a call if your child is selected, no email or notice board communication in this era of technology. Either you pick up the call, or you get lost. Which month could I be getting the call – no idea! It could be anytime in the next 4 months! So, eager parents need to clutch their cell phones fully charged up and ensure they do not visit any place where there is a chance one may not receive signal (read: lifts, basements, etc) Apparently they get around 1000 applications for 60 odd seats. All this for Nursery admissions for the next academic year. God, I want to return to simpler times!

So then, there was the final option. They are expensive as well, but one thing I liked about them is their meticulous approach to the admission process. On the day of application, they gave an interview date. On the day of the interview, they clearly mentioned that if selected we should receive a call in a couple of days (which we did incase you’re wondering!). So, atleast I didnt have to hold onto my cellphone for months together hoping for one call.

Sid is not very good with new places or strangers, his reaction is quite unpredictable, and so I dreaded the thought of an interview. Luckily, they allowed me to accompany him (heard they dont let the moms accompany for LKG admissions, yeah, because they mature drastically in a year, you see!) and once we got seated, there were a flurry of questions. There were a lot of objects placed on the table and the teacher asked him what they were, the colors, shapes, etc. Sid answered a few and chose to ignore a few. He was too excited about the new environment with lots of books and toys around and wanted to start playing with them. I was quite surprised that he didnt cry or refuse to sit and answered some questions. Quite sure, he knew the answers to most of those questions, but kids are moody and I just found it hard to digest that they are being evaluated this way.

I mean, what are they going to ask this small kid and then determine results based on that?! Why do we even need interviews for nursery admissions considering this is the starting point of education? There is a serious need for education reforms in the country, and NOW! The government needs to place a cap on the fees levied and ensure the process is fair. Maybe an RTI will help here! It was very disturbing to find out that the fees came close to what I paid for a year of my MBA. How are kids with lesser resources studying these days? Which schools are they going to? I always thought of education as the one thing that would empower the next generation and reduce the difference between the various classes. It is upsetting to see that as a country, we are not tackling education and health and both of these have become too expensive and out of reach for a majority of people. I am going along with the wave here and letting my son be a part of this process, but not sure of my options. I cannot put him in a government school, I want him to get good education, but I dont want to pay such obscene amount of money for it. And I want it to be fair for all kids.

 

Toddler times

… are the toughest! So I heard, but nothing until you experience it. Offlate, I’m not even sure how to engage Sid, he is abounding with energy to experiment something every minute and I’m going crazy thinking of ways to keep him entertained. Puzzles, paints, CDs, songs, books are all being tried in earnest, but they all last only for a specific time.. And then what? That remains the big question to be answered. Every few minutes I’m trying to think something creative, but my mind blanks out at some point and then chaos reigns. And if I’m busy doing other things, then the attention seeking exercises double up, and the world at this household literally seems to come to an end.

I also find Sid throwing tantrums like he never did before, in that if he doesnt get something he asks for, before he even attempts to finish the sentence, he is wailing loud enough for the apartment to hear, or atleast for the aupair to turn up and ask what the hell happened. Just so unnerving.

Not been a big fan of parenting books, but thinking about getting one now to understand what is going on in the kid’s mind? Wonder if there has been some research on this.. And how to handle this? What do other moms do, I wonder..

 

A good hair day!

After the last horrifying experience with haircut I almost decided that the next time Sid is going to get a haircut is when he is old enough to walk to the salon himself. Well, by June this year his hair had grown to a length when it warranted a haircut. FIL took pity on us, took the onus himself and got it done, what with him experiencing Sid’s trantrums this time. And lo! its that time of the year again..For the past month or so, we have been postponing the task at hand, but as I realized I cannot push it longer, we took it up last weekend. This time, I prepped up Sid a couple of days before.. told him we’d be going for the haircut and that “barber uncle” will cut it for him. He seemed to understand what I said. When I asked..
“chidhu, uncle hair cut pannumbodhu nee enna pannuve?” (What’ll you do when uncle cuts your hair?)
he promptly replied.. “naan azhuguven..” (I will cry!)
We picked a simple men’s salon near home. There was a waiting time and lucky for us there was another kid getting it done, so Sid got to see it as a non-dangerous thing! When his turn came he was his unusual self, in other words, CALM. The guy who cut the hair also was calm. So the next 10 mins was a sweet revelation to see Sid not yelling and screaming like someone is attacking him. He kept his head straight and also I didnt have to make him sit on me this time. Overall, a smooth one, making me comment to hubby.. “Next time onwards you can just do this without me, right?” Always happy to delegate a task
Phew!

 

Trip to Chikmagalur

Of the 4 adults that travelled, one of us had a bad headache, vomiting; two of us experienced nausea and the fourth had a simmering cold, and some of us were bitten by leeches, however I’d still rate this as one of the best places I have visited, thanks to the scenic and mesmerizing spots that we encountered.

We were thinking of a good place to visit over the Dusserah weekend and we picked Chikmagalur, the rains had stopped and the sun was starting to peep out, so seemed like a good time of the year to visit. It is a beautiful hill station sprawling with coffee estates and an ideal destination for trekkers. I don’t fancy the idea of a trek and let me clarify that Sid is NOT the reason, I am just not cut out for it! So, we were supposed to do a relaxed vacation just driving around the place, albeit, it turned out to be more hectic than anticipated.

Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen

On day 1, we started around 7am (Gone are the days when we could manage to start around 5am, and let me clarify Sid IS the reason!) and set off towards Chikmagalur. We decided to take a small deviation to Halebid and it was totally worth it – the hoysala architecture with its intricate carvings were very impressive and Sid couldn’t stop gushing over the ‘Nandi’ (cow/bull in any form is welcome!) There were no decent breakfast options enroute (no Kamat, since it’s not the Mysore route!) so we ate something in a small darshini type restaurant in Hassan. Then we drove towards the homestay and reached around 2pm.

The rooms in the homestay were very modest to say the least, but the food was incredible. We paid 3.5k per couple inclusive of food, so we expected more from the place, but we booked just 2 days before and could not get a better accommodation. I would not stay here the next time, but the place scored 5/5 on food, so kept us reasonably happy. After lunch, we drove to Mullyangiri peak and the place looked like a huge green blanket that was wrapped around the hills. It was such a pleasure to the eyes and I didn’t want to leave from there. It got dark pretty soon, so we had to move out. Enroute we stopped by a small lake which had a very filmi feel to it (my way of saying, romantic) but what with the kids, all we thought about was to keep them safe. The silence that prevails in the lake completely bowls you over.

Sunset at the lake

On the second day, after a sumptuous breakfast and checkout from the homestay, we went to Baba Budangiri peak. It’s visited by both Hindus and Muslims – there is a temple and a dargha, though we didn’t visit either. This is one of the most visually appealing drives ever and you’re constantly looking outside to ensure you’re not missing anything. We then went to Hebbe falls in Kemmanagundi and it appeared as nature’s best-kept secret. It’s kept hidden, what with having to take a jeep that breaks your hip for about 45 mins, and then followed by walking through a patch of three streams and some ruddy road, which definitely did not feel like an escalator. I’m such a lazy person and do not like to walk so much on vacations but my friends who had accompanied, inspired me to somehow do this! After I saw the falls however, all my tiredness was lifted and it is nature’s miracle that makes you feel lighter in mind and heart.

We got very delayed at the falls, left around 7pm and only stopped a bit to admire the sun setting, it literally vanished in 3 minutes! And we finally managed to reach home only at 1:30am!

Word of advice:
- Kemmanagundi has hardly any food options, so pack food for lunch and dinner! The infrastructure for food or rest rooms is very poor and I think it is because the place is not as frequented as other locations and that is also perhaps why the beauty is still intact.
- We did a 2 day trip, but if you want a more relaxed trip, spread it over 3 days.

At the top of Mullyangiri peak

Sid had a blast in this trip, a day before the trip I had talked to him about it and so he had gotten really excited…and it was very cute to hear him say the word “Chikmagalur” a million times. The day we started, he woke up and realized we were up earlier than usual and when I mentioned we are getting ready for the trip, he just got off the bed and was all set to leave! He has come a long way from the time he screamed to enter a new room and I could not be happier! Since he had company in another 1 year old, it was great for us parents to see their interaction. It also means we need to entertain them lesser than usual and also atleast one of the four is not tired at a point and can handle the kids.

Back to the grind, but the refreshment the trip provided is going to hold me for a while.. let’s say for another 3 months, atleast.

 

Expressions

As a new mom, what I found unnerving was that your baby cannot communicate how he or she feels, well, that is if you do not consider into account that crying is one way to express basic needs. And somehow moms are expected to differentiate between the cries .. is this because he is hungry or sleepy? Maybe he is uncomfortable with the diapers..maybe you should turn the fan off..I think the food didnt suit him today.As you gasp through the endless list of advice that you get, you are bordering on paranoia.
And then you’re checking to ensure that the food or milk is neither too hot or cold. And that the water to bathe isnt too hold or too cold. And you’re looking for signs to verify if he is comfortable or not – should I feed something now, should I put him to sleep, is it diaper time? All these questions run in your mind all the time.
So when Sid actually started saying thing like –
amma, idhu ooooo sudardhu (It’s too hot!)
amma, idhu chill (Cold!)
you should know that I was exhilarated. My kiddo can tell now! Yippeee!!

In his typical second person speaking style, he also adds a “..ah?” at the end implying I need to ask that.. .like the other day I was feeding him something and he goes.. “kaarama?” (Is it spicy?)
And one day while he was eating pasta he also commented “yummy!!” making my heart swell.
There there, my kiddo is growing up!

Just yesterday, he was going to jump from the sofa when I yelled a bit louder than usual to stop him from doing that.. he was taken aback by my sound and immediately said.. “bayandhu poittiya chidhu?” (Got scared?)
A proud sweet moment

 

Role reversal

I was hell bent on finishing a book yesterday.. I played a CD for Sid and continued to read the book. Now when I’m reading a book which is even reasonably engaging, the ambience around me appears as a blur and usually I do only the minimal stuff required to get going through the day and return to the book. Eg, if its a weekend, I would postpone taking a bath as much as possible. I would think of ordering food, or making something really quick so I can get back to the book.
So, in keeping with the tradition, I went to the kitchen, grabbed a quick bite. I cast a look at the vessels that the maid had washed and decided to stack them in the shelf later the next morning. Well, Sid decided otherwise.. knowing my regular routine, he started handing over the vessels one at a time asking me to place in the shelf. I was really impatient, but since he started it, I decided to go with it and also he was by then exploring various loud sounds with the vessels.
After this was done, I settled myself into the couch and continued reading the book.. 15 minutes later, he goes in a commanding tone.. “amma..paal tha..” (Gimme milk) I tried to ignore him for sometime in vain and then my motherly guilt rose to action when he tried sandwiching his head between my face & the book. So, off I went and made him something to drink… I settled again with the book, when in sometime he dragged me by my finger and said.. “ezhindhuru vaa.. poi bedla thoongalam ” (Get up, Lets go and sleep in the bed!) I reluctantaly went along, and resumed reading once he fell asleep.
I slept very late because of my vethu principle of having to finish the book the very night.. the next morning I was deep asleep..when Sid wakes me up and says “amma, ezhindhiru, paal thaa..” (Get up and give me milk!) I ignored him for sometime when he started poking my eyes and kicking my face with his legs (if you can imagine that) and then I had to wake up!
I am beginning to think that maybe my mom has coached him into this having failed to bring that discipline in me all these years! Enna kodumaida!

 

Reading amma..

Sid was irritating me the other day and I yelled at him …

Me: “Sidhu, appadi pannadhe..apram ammakku enna varum theriyuma? (Do you know what amma will react if you continue to do that?)
Sid: Kovam varum. (amma will get angry!)
Me: Apram amma enna pannuva? (What’ll amma do then?)
Sid: UUUUUUUhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmm kathuva! (She’ll yell aloud!)

Huh! Got me pretty quick, eh? Maybe, hubby has been giving some training in my absence!