40Q on 2007

I did this last year so I'm gonna continue it. I wouldn't mind if you X out the webpage right away as it's totally boring. Go ahead and leave. Honestly, go! Gone? No?! . Ok then, here goes:

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
   Celebrated my child's first birthday.
2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   Here's what I said last year:
   - Try to survive on my own and not ask mom to return, pronto.
   Not. Mom spend most of the year with us.
   - Visit Avi when he moves to Shanghai.
   Not. I'll move this to next year as we are planning a China trip in May '08.
   - Cut down on the carbs and get back in my size 8's.
   Not. I got preggo. Move to next year too?
   - Do more things together as a family.
   This we met, did a zillion family-related activities.
   For 2008 I want to settle-down whether it be in the US or India or anywhere, I just need to settle.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   Other than me, again?!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   No.
5. What countries did you visit?
   Stuck in Seattle as I was saving up for maternity leave, yup again.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
   Sleep
7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory?
   Oct 24, 2007 8:29am - the day Nisha was born.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   Being stupid courageous enough to have 2 kids under 2.
9. What was your biggest failure?
   Can't really think of anything
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    No
11. What was the best thing you bought?
    A webcam. S and I stood in line at 5:30am on the day after thanksgiving and fought crowds to get it just so my Grandma can watch Tara say "Hi, buddu". Worth it one hundred percent.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
    I'll give S kudos here. He's had a tough year careerwise but he kept the oil burning at home. He's been my strength and a lovable father to our girls.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
    I rather not say
14. Where did most of your money go?
    Daycare, diapers and toys.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    - Having another baby
    - My brother being rewarded well at work
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2007?
    Don't stop believin' by Journey. C'mon admit it as soon as that screen went to black all you could do is hunt up the old Journey album and listen to it and keep wondering if Tony got whacked. Did he?? Argh it bugs me till today.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    happier or sadder? Happier
    thinner or fatter? Thinner
    richer or poorer? Financially poorer
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
    Yoga
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
    Worry
20. How will you be spending New Year's?
    Rocking my girls to sleep.
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
    My brother
22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
    Yes, I fell in love with this little family of ours.
23. How many one night stands in this last year?
    Still a good girl.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
    Sopranos until it ended, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Mad Men, and I cringe to admit it but Gossip Girl.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
    No
26. What was the best book(s) you read?
    Haven't read a single book and I don't think Goodnight Moon qualifies.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    Amy Winehouse
28. What did you want and get?
    Another daughter
29. What did you want and not get?
    A plasma TV
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
    I watched only two, a measly two movies this year- Knocked Up & Namesake. I chose well cause I enjoyed them both.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    Celebrated it with our close friends Lakshmi & Arvind. S surprised me with a cake. I turned 34.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    See #29
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
    Does it stretch?
34. What kept you sane?
    The Internet and this blog.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    Bill Maher
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
    The immigration reform bill
37. Who did you miss?
    I don't think I'll ever stop missing/wanting/needing/crying for my dad.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
    Do blog friends count? if so, Dooce
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
    Just when you think you can't love your child much more, have another one and watch that love quadruple.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
    This song is more appropriate for S than me but it reflects my sentiments too.
    I'm gonna watch you shine
    Gonna watch you grow
    Gonna paint a sign
    So you'll always know
    As long as one and one is two
    There could never be a father who loved his daughter more than I love you.
    - Paul Simon, Father & Daughter

Happy New Year!

Our Christmas weekend

December 22

We started the celebrations early, frankly it feels like we've been celebrating ever since the Xmas tree and lights went up. Most of our Indian friends go home during this time so we had a "Stuck in Seattle" party for those who remained. It turned out to be quite the crowd. The kids had a complete blast as we had presents and a giant sized Santa by the fireplace that kept them amused. When the mood went a little down there were plenty of home-baked cookies (ahem I really did bake!) and candy canes to go around.

Mom was at her culinary best she made jeera rice, cauliflower and capsicum sabji, matter paneer, veggie cutlets, dehi vada and more, I can't type the rest out as my mouth is watering again. She even had the energy to roll out a 100 plus chapattis, God bless the woman. I was in charge of the appetizers and dessert so I made spinach dip and for dessert we had ice-cream with a bunch of toppings that the kids could pick, simple but a huge hit!

I told everyone to bring a gift and put it under the tree. We got Tara a set of dolls and a medical kit. The truth was one was for Nisha but the real truth they were both for Tara. Nisha just starred at the people and the lights and was clueless while Tara enjoyed ripping the gifts and yelling bebe dolly mamometer bebe dolly mamometer! All the boys even wanted to play with the dolls. Now she roams around everywhere with a doll in each hand.


December 23

Since the party got over close to midnight, we all slept in and half the day passed thankfully. The weather wasn't all that great so we stayed in, ate left-overs and Tara watched this song only 12379484573629 times. By the 445 time we all started singing "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" and meant every word.

December 24

Not wanting to sing the Hippo song one more time this day we took Tara out of the house as soon as she woke up. Nisha was left behind with Agi, cause going out with two kids the day all shops close early is insane. We braved it and went downtown, luckily our gym has parking so we didn't have to hunt for space. We did the Christmasy thing of riding the carousel a few times(Horsy melly go-a-round horsy, go up go down, papa. More, more papa) and then went to the malls to see all the decorations through Tara's eyes. She enjoyed riding the escalators the most while we exclaimed - Look Tara Santa, Look Tara Elf, Look Tara Kissamee Tree and sounded like complete doofuses.

December 25

Tara got to open her last set of gifts. By this time she was trained to walk straight to the tree and say Santa gift? Surprise? and ripe whatever she finds under the tree. I got her a book, I'm thinking of giving both the girls a book every year with a note in them from us. I think the best gift anyone can give is a book, I can still remember the day my father gave me The Godfather and ear-marked the pages I should skip. Ha, I read every page and then the book over and over again.

So, back to the gifts. Tara got a book, she got princess chocolates from my friend Diane left in her stocking and a lovely train set from her aunt Roma. S had more fun building the Lego trains and playing with it while Tara kept saying Chagga-Chagga-Choo-Choo and stuffing her face with more chocolate fudge.


The Gods had pity on us because as soon as the facination with the new toys was starting to fade it began to snow. Yup, we had a white Christmas in Seattle. S took Tara out and she played and played in the snow until it melted. I got some much-needed time with Nisha who has been such a darling, not demanding at all, just an absolute darling.

By evening we were back to singing the (in)famous Hippo song. Oh, c'mon join me:

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy!

(I typed that up without even looking at the web page, If you do watch it hit the down arrow key so you can sing along. You will totally get hooked after the second time.)

All the weekend pictures are in the Christmas album. Thank God it's over, we need some rest! Hope you and yours had an equally enjoyable holiday.

Kissamee

We've jumped hook, line and sinker into the Christmas spirit. Partly, no mostly, no completely due to Tara. She is enchanted with snowmen, lights, stars, and candy canes but stays clear of Santa. No Santa! No I scared! No Santa! Bee-ard! I scared! goes the banter everytime she sees something reddish bobbing around, ANYWHERE. I saw children walk up to Santa and give him their list while I was holding a squirming toddler who wanted nothing more than a candy cane and the chance to run back into the car and hide. Needless to say the Santa picture was a disaster.

We thought maybe Santa's reindeer would not be daunting, wrong. No! Raindeer! Big Horns! Big Eyes! Poke Tara! No! Sign, the holiday picture turned out good but with no Santa or Reindeer, maybe next year, but wait Nisha will be yelling by then, oh dear.



We didn't go with the fresh cut tree this year, the bajillion needles that the tree sheds was no fun to clean up and getting rid of the tree is even harder. We got rid of last year's tree in August as S had no time to chop it up. it just lay there on our driveway wilting. We picked up an artificial tree and it still wasn't an easy endeavour. The first one we bought had a wobbly stand, the second one we got the lights were multi-colored, it was the third one which had a steady stand with clear lights and by then S was pleading I AM NOT GOING TO THE STORE AGAIN so it remained.

The lights, ornaments and stockings are all up, the only thing missing are the presents and at this point I'm too tired to go shopping. Tara & Nisha are not at an age where they expect presents, they are mesmerized by looking at the lights for now, thank you Jesus. Every night Tara returns from daycare and goes straight to the tree and waits for S to turns on the lights. As soon as the tree is lit she yells "Kissamee! Melly Kissameeee" in such a delightful enthusiastic voice that it makes returning home after an exhausting day, such a joy.

After the tree lighting she goes to Agi and yells "Surprise" at which point she gets a Santa chocolate or a Snowman chocolate or a Turkey chocolate. One day instead of the chocolate she was given a book, not so thrilling. She kept repeating "Surprise? Chocolate??" until we shoved some M&M's into her mouth to shut her up.

Talk to me

I received an email from a friend asking if Tara has started talking. It hadn't struck me that kids really start talking, actual talking not that dada-baba jabbering, only after they turn 2 or thereabouts. It seems like Tara has been yakking for ages. In reality, it's probably just in the last few months but boy can she talk up a storm. She constructs perfect sentences and articulates it in the cutest sing-song voice ever. Her Oh-mah-gawd exclamation complete with eyes widening, eyebrows raising and hand covering her mouth is delightful to watch. She repeats everything we say but in her toddler language. Sabudhana is Sabudhanana, Pomegranate is Poomoglanate, Sleep is Shleppy, M&M's is M&M&Ummm.

Every evening when she comes home, I greet her in the garage and take her upstairs. Each evening we have the same conversation:

Tara how was your day?
I sad. I fall down.
Where?
On the play-a-ground.
Who pushed you?
Jack*
And then?
He scratch, over there.
Awww and what did you say? (kissing imaginary hurt on the hand)
No thank you, Jack. I push you.

*For the record, Jack is the sweetest little kid and greets Tara with a hug.

Her teachers say they can't keep up with her vocabulary and are amazed by how well she communicates. Tara was slow in her milestones, but in the language department she does seem ahead. I wonder if it was the sign-language that helped? My grandma says Tara takes after me. I was known to have recited story books from start to finish verbatim, not only that, but I'd tell you when there was a punctuation mark and when you had to turn the page and to show-off rattle you I'd even give you the page number. No kiddin'. Where is that memory these days when i need it?

Some of the nice things she rambles:

- Mama, carry me I'm a queen.
- I no like Santa, I scared. I like Santa candy only.
- Wake up papa. Get up papa. Get up!Get up! (my personal favorite)
- No phone papa, switch it off. (my next personal favorite)
- No Nisha's turn, it's Tara turn. (when we try and feed/bath/cuddle Nisha)
- Avi, I want a purple bicycle.
- Agi I hungry. I wan knoodles.
- Whas dhis, Whas dhah? (repeated 234956 while in the car)
- You tired mama. Sit down take nap.
- Look in mirror I pretty.
- Goodnight mama. Big Hug. I love you.

Some of the not-so-nice things:

- I no like you. Go away.
- No mine. No, miiiine. (almost always followed by puppy face and tears)
- No shoutin mama. Be nice.
- I not ready to share.
- I wan Elmo I wan Telletubbies I wan Pingu I wan Spiderman I wan! I wan!!

She can sing most nursery rhymes. Obviously it's not word-for-word and you have to struggle to recognize a few but she can recite them all.



Most of the times she has her own language which is adorable to listen too.



Here's a longer one, I couldn't stop recording. To think only a year ago she spoke to her Teletubbies like this.

Naming Nisha

It snowed for the first time in Seattle today!! And oh, we officially named Nisha. We really hoped Avi would be here to do the honors just like he did for Tara but he's too busy attending surprise birthday parties for himself and his birthday hasn't even arrived. The naming ceremony was a small affair this time but nice. The priest explained all the prayers he chanted which was useful as I just randomly repeat whatever he says when asked to do so with not the faintest idea on what it means.

Tara was more amused with the snow falling outside (who can blame her) than the chanting inside but she did take part eventually. She enjoyed ripping the petals off the flowers and offering it to the Gods. She kept doing the more sign to the priest wanting more flowers and when he gave her a puzzled look she'd do the sign and say More Flowers, More, More. NIsha slept, cried, slept, through it all. She did enjoy the honey I fed her to "sweeten" her mouth, do not tell my Doctor.

Here are pictures of us doing the ceremony, S writing Nisha's name in rice, S whispering Nisha's name into her ear and finally the family picture.





By the time we left the temple the snow was falling pretty hard. As soon as Tara finished her late afternoon nap she wanted to get out. S had to keep making miniature snowmen and Tara would gleefully knock it's head off. I'm glad we picked up a snowsuit for her just yesterday, who knew snow was in the forecast.

I hope this is a short snowstorm as I start work on Monday ... what am I thinking ..... LET IT SNOW!