Say What??

Summer Holidays. Always meant cold coffee, mangoes, no studies, lotsa masti time and of course the visit to the grandparents home for close to two months. A four day train journey, with changing trains along the way, hoping & praying that the tickets booked, would actually be utilized.

The train journey would be eventful by itself. A bunch of us start together, till we reach our respective destinations. We'd raid the pantry, bug our fellow travelers, generally having a whole lotta fun and creating awesome memories along the way. Being a part of a large joint family had(has) its perks. Never missed friends esp during hols, there was this guarantee that someone would always be there giving you company. The parents had no clue what the children were up to, yet we survived and managed and those fun years have resulted in some great relationships, even if the elders don't have.

And now summers holidays are all about summer camps, short short trips, shorter journeys and of course the video games. Joint families have given way to nuclear families, and most double income households and single children left with maids, the new age nannies. And in most households, grand parents have been relegated the nanny status and not necessarily during the hols only.

Another new thing or fad as I would like to call it, that has started is the singing & dancing Reality Show's for kids. This has taken parents ambition to new heights. Holidays are definitely not meant for stressful activities for children. Exams are enough stress already. They are supposed to be fun & carefree & definitely not to be spent waiting in the blazing heat for their turn in the audition. And not to mention the stress of the practice sessions, the performance and the pain of rejection/failure. I'm not sure though if one of the parents stays with the child during the competition. Are the children equipped enough to handle all this? Their parents certainly can't, they break down, insult & misbehave. All this for 2 min of fame!? Agreed the reality shows have opened new gates, but there needs to be a change in the law (child labor law perhaps). And where does one draw the line? Does the impressionable young, yet to develop mind of a child not matter at all?

Yes, the kids have talent, can it not be honed in dance schools and smaller competition's? Yes, these days summer hols are meant for singing and dancing auditions in reality shows for which they prepare through out the year.

Yes, they dance well. Yes, its a great platform. And yes, Imp loves Boogie Woogie and Dance India Dance esp the little master's and wants to participate too. But that does not mean I forget being sensible. One of us has got to be an adult sometime.

And the lesser said about the provocative costumes and lewd vulgar dance moves and songs which the parents have no problem with, the better.

And so it has begun...

Last Friday I reached home to a note from her school " Please collect your child's report card on Monday."

WTF!!! A frigging report card??!!! My daughter is getting a Pass or Fail grade in play school? Incredulous, stupefied and stunned. And shouldn't it read as a progress report? I don't like the pass and fail concept and then what would she be graded on? will she pass..heck I knew she would..but yet..damn I hated the waiting.

Finally Monday arrived and I came home to her Report Card. And to say I was floored is an understatement.

It was 2 huge files; one with all the work that she has done in school; all her paintings, her craft work, her scribbles from when she learnt to hold the pencil to sticking activities, to her homework, and all of them with the date. Its a huge thick file. The second one, with laminated sheets held together with a cutesy purple (incidentally her fav color) ribbon. This is like an index or rather a syllabus, with all the activities she has been introduced too, has mastered and is currently working on. Its exhaustive. And yes, it is titled the "Progress Report". And it is complete with pictures. And the last page is the comments by the teacher with a class pic at an outing they had.

I have no complaints. And now I know why my kiddo loves her school so much, she has way too much fun there...the coming 2 months are going to be harrowing for both of us. I just hope we don't tear our hair out in frustration.

It was such a refreshing change to not see the A - F grading system. And so happy that that I was right in choosing this school. The extended family can be such a nuisance at times, wondering why a toddler needs Montessori training and not to mention the fees. Looking at her files, everything was just so worth it. My only grouse is that the Government on India does not recognize the Montessori method, it believes only in the traditional one. Children would be so much happier in this method. The learning system is just amazing here. And of course, they would just love math.

I don't know where she is going to be 3 years from now, I have decided to not get hyper about it. I know most parents, rather the mothers know where their child will be going too, but I'm not getting into it now, gonna save myself the heartache and decide when its time for her.


My only wish, is that she enjoys it as much as she does now.

Full of life and attitude

Bro at B's (Imp's friend) place:

B: Oh! It's you!! ......Why have you come alone? I told you to bring Imp? so why did you not bring her?

Bro, shocked at her tone... manages to mumble... will bring her tomorrow ... ok... promise.

B: Good.

There are few days when I pick up and drop B home from school... yes both of them go to the same school

Me: Enjoyed school today?

B: Yes. Casually asks me... I thought you were supposed to get her home? (this after 3 days of meeting every evening and after school playing)

Its always a tough time for me and their school teachers when I have to pick up the imp, as both want to go home together... doesn't matter whose home, just as long as they are together. Its a different thing that after 2-3 hours pf playing both have drawn their daggers and are fighting for that small chair to sit or the brownie to be finished...no they are not fighting for the last one...just that Imp likes to relish her brownies and B likes to wolf them down. Both are head strong, stubborn and short tempered. And cannot take no for an answer. yet when its time to leave, they want to stay together. You ask one a question and the other one will answer for her. Its really rare when they will answer questions asked to them.

And Thank god they are not in the same class! Don't even want to imagine what would happen then.

**********************************

On a totally unrelated note... how to get away with murder!!! sigh.... what a total waste.

Home remedies and a BIG Thank you!

First off, thank you all everybody for your support. I was really upset initially more so because the big fan I am of home remedies, it meant that I would have to toughen up and get immune to her cries for them to work . And yes I managed to do both... time, patience & a stone of heart. Damn why did parenting have to be so hard! now that will make for a totally different post...

So here is what I did..

For the Cyst in her eye: Rinsing eyes with Meethi Seeds decoction is a good remedy for all eye related problems. rinsing the eyes of a toddler, was tough. After a lot of debate, using it as eye drops was the best. And after a lot of trial and error, its best to use it when the are asleep! Just pull down the lower eye lid, and voila its done. No cries. No pleadings nothing.

For her ears: Turns out that the supposed gold plated earring was made of inferior quality material and hence the infection was going bad to worse. So it was Kari pata (fresh) to the rescue. The stems have medicinal properties. Seeing is believing they say and within 6 hours there was a noticeable difference. And in 24 hours, I could actually see her pierced ear lobes without any pus or blood. The sticks would turn black, it was as though it was pulling/sucking all infection into itself. The sticks have to be replaced everyday, they shrink in size and dry out. Neem sticks cannot be used, since they rot the ears, making it a whole lot worse.

The whole operation, was done when she was sleeping. Removing, cleaning & oiling. Used Entrops on the ear lobe and the sticks too. The cyst took about a week to clear more so because, I could put those drops only during the afternoon and though her ears look ok now, have been advised to keep it going for another month.

The worst, she has sworn off earrings. She does not want to wear them. Period. Even though her ears don't pain now, I'm still not allowed to change the sticks when she is awake. I'm planning to take her to the jeweler, to shop for her new earrings, hopefully then she'd be interested again. And yes she has also become very alert during her sleep. If she feels any pain and is woken up, she looks every few minutes to see if I am in the room or not and so I am not supposed to be sleeping next to her, if I touch her eye or ear.

God and his terrific sense of humor!

Dear God,

Oh I'm pissed! Royally pissed!

She wakes up today morning, with a blood red spot in her eye. Turns out to be a cyst! yea a cyst. How did she get it? We have 2 mango trees in out back yard replete with mango's. She loves to play outside, and personally pick and collect the fallen mango's to give to her nani to pickle them. The fact that she happened to rub her eye after touching the mango and the sap is what has given her the bloody cyst. And rinsing the eye of a 2.6 yrd old with menthi solution is a piece of cake, isn't it?

What am I supposed to do, Tie her up like we tie dogs, so that she can be in one place. This girl loves to play in the grass, in the mud, yes she even likes to eat it. Loves to pluck out the flowers and make a small garden for herself or her mum.

And don't even get me started about her ears, infected! I have to take out her earrings. This girl loves jewelery, even more than her mother. And now I have to bloody well take out her earrings. Just a walk in the park. the very thought of it, has me shaking. She is going to be sooo upset.

But then hey, what has to done has to be done right. First the allergies and now this. Thank you. Please I do not want to know what all different types if reactions can happen with touch, please just stop it here. And forgive me for my explicit language, I'm really upset, I cant really vent this way at home here. What has this girl done to deserve this? To see other kids eat cake, chocolates, ice cream and only want it form a distance, knowing that seh cannot eat any of those, Only those special ones that mum makes or gets for her. Its torture looking into those eyes, and explaining to her, why she cannot have those.

Please just stop it right here, I'm begging you. She does not even understand what I am going to do, she will cry bloody murder begging me to not do this to her. Begging that she will be a good girl and listen to everything I say. If this goes on, I cant deal with this, so please just stop here, let this be the last. Please.

Love,
Upset mum.

Conversations from the Imp household!

Post 6pm, we're both in the garden enjoying the evening breeze after a hot sunny day.

IMP: Mummy see...pointing towards the sky... Mooon!!
Me: Nahi beta woh moon nahi hai. Those are the clouds (She does not understand the silver lining to a grey coud)
IMP: Nahi mamma, Moon hai. Imp jaati hai?
Me: Nahi beta, Wahan Koi nahi jaata, koi nahi rehta.
IMP: mmm...(thinking in progress) bus hai?
Me: nahi
IMP: tractor hai?
Me: nahi
IMP: nayi mamma, tractor hai. Imp ko maalum hai, sab maul hai mamma.

Watching songs on my lap, she suddenly exclaims as I change the channel..
"Oh God! No Mama!"
Stunned and shocked mum: Where did you learn that?
Suddenly shy Imp: Bacche Ma!

Sleepy mum to imp: Sleep baby. Mamma ko nini aiye.
IMP: nahi
Me: fine. then let mumma sleep. you do your puzzles
Imp: No. Uttho Mamma. Ye lo, colouring karo (handing me the crayons and hte coloring book)
Me: No. Imp ne paani nahi pi, mamma imp ki baat nahi sunegi
IMP: hmmm... theek hai...takes a sip from the bottle. Ab bas hai, okie...paani pi..abb uthho aur coloring karo. Imp puzzle karti hai. Theek Hai.
Me: Aur piyo...
IMP: Nahi. Bas Hai
Me: Piyo.
IMP: Imp jaari hai. Imp ko bahar Janna Hai. Tum ninna karo. Ok Mamma. Byeeee

Goes out and wakes up Nana and Nani to open the main door, since mum has refused to!

After breakfast, dad is getting ready to leave for work. Imp scrambles from my lap to wear her sandals.
IMP: Nana... Imp aari hai...I also coming.
Nana: No Beta, you stay here. You have to have your bath.
IMP: Nahi. I also coming. See Imp ready hai. Nai Nai nahi karna.
And is getting ready to go out the door, to wait right next to the car.
Nana: Theek Hai, car me round deke, nai nai karna...ok..phir mamma office leeke aiyagi.
IMP: Nahi. Imp ko office me dosa khana hai. Abhi.
Nana: Lekin aise gandi jaaogi?
IMP: Gandi nahi hai nana! Imp ko jaana hai...please nana..please nana...please... (she does a wonderful lip curl when she is pleading. Will melt the strongest heart!)
As usual Nana melts: Theek Hai. chalo. Paani ki bottle rakho aur bye kardo mummy ko.

And as usual I have no say in this conversation.

Heartfelt Moments

Growing up, saw my mum do this puja (mata pujan) every year. We would sit on a mat on the floor and mum would take our aarti. For some reason this really amused me to no end. And this year, I got to perform this ritual for Imp. A ritual performed by the mothers for the protection of their children. Neem leaves in the bath water had her totally confused. We have been having a discussion of giving her a Neem stick to brush her teeth with v/s a toothpaste. And she has heard and understood parts of the conversation. So when she saw the leaves, the immediate reaction was isse muh saaf nahi pleading with a defiant shake of the head. Once that was clear, everything else was a cake walk. She enjoyed the aarti too, couldn't get enough of it. And me? a warm feeling in my heart :)


Few days back, bed time ritual, stories are done and I'm about to switch off the lights. She just turns around, puts an arm around my neck exclaiming "my friend" . Left me speechless, I'd died and gone to heaven!


We'd gone out for dinner last night, but had to get take away's and eat at home. Needless to say, it was a much delayed dinner and Imp was sleepy to no end. Looking into my plate every few minutes. I'm almost done, looks at me and says finith? imp ko ninna aiye hai...room me jaana hai...Sitting next to me, patiently waiting for me to finish.

And last but not the least, nobody in the house to allowed to talk against her mum, me; she gets mighty upset and comes running to me to complain. And I am supposed to retaliate, which when I don't she gets even more upset. Doesn't mater that most of the time she is only being teased! Talking to her about it is just not working...

Partee Time :D

hey again everybody :) yea I know posting really soon, but I have had so much fun this week, just had to let you all know... 3 b'day parties, x-mas parties and a trip to the Railway Museum...

2 of my friends celebrated their b'day's at school. And the cake that was cut was regular wheat flour cake so I wasn't allowed to eat it. But I did get to eat chips, lots of it. So much that I did not eat my snack. And I managed to eat half a biscuit, much to mum's horror..but she can relax as I did not like it very much. After that everyday she's asking if I have tummy ache and pressing my tummy to check for lumps.. which is such a pain.

B celebrated her 4th b'day at the club which was so much more cooler. huge garden to play + huge rice cake and made so many new friends. The theme was the jungle, the cake and invite had all my fav animals. As soon as the cake was cut, I insisted mum pick out the elephant and i took him home with me. He was really sweet to taste too...but meanie mum did not let me eat it. But I was having way too much fun to complain. I played football for the first time too with B's older brother and his friends and totally loved it. I was stuffed with cake and ate it for 3 whole days :D . B is a very special friend, my first friend...ever since I was a few months old. There was only one balloon at the party as aunty in a hurry had left the bag with the balloons at her home. So there was this huge scramble for it. But I got it and did not let it go...gave it only to B and we shared the balloon amongst us...with mum making sure none of the other girls snatch it away from B's hands. One of the girls wanted to burst the balloon, and was trying very hard to do it. She even got B to light a match stick, but mum caught her in the nick of time.

Went to the first x'mas party (my very first one) at nani's club and came back with a smug look on my face :P. Met so many children there, made new friends, saw the older kids playing musical chairs . I even told mum to leave me here and go home in one of the cars parked there. she just kept coming in my way. not letting me go off to the grounds and play with the older kids...apparently deep in the woods snakes reside and B and I wanted to check out their home and cover the hole of the mould with big stones. Well actually B wanted to ... but I'll go along with anything she wants to do :P . Spoil sport mum! The best part was the gifts that I got from Santa. All of us were asked to stand in a line youngest to the oldest. Me being me refused to get in line, get out of mum's godi :D...but I still got my gift a story book... I just love them :). They played jingle bells, my fav song ever and had yum rice cake! Yes I stiffed my self like crazy... An aunty was distributing home made chocolates to everybody. I got mine too, but mum kept it in my bag even before I could see what it was. It was wrapped on shiny red and sliver paper...looked so tempting that i remembered to take it out as soon as we reached home and held on to it. The result was that it melted, I wiped my hands on my dress, and licked my fingers. Man it tasted sooo good...had to disagree with mum, when she told me I would get a tummy pain as it does not taste good. Mum really does not know anything does she! All she was thinking about was my blue dress which had patches of chocolate on it..well she did say something about allergies..what ever they are.

My school also celebrated x'mas day, before closing( yes I have my x'mas vacation, and mum is going crazy :P), but it was really boring. Also went to B's school's annual day function, and was bored again cause B was busy on stage and I couldn't meet her. Did enjoy the dance that the kids did on Mauja Mauja. One of the boys also played the Jingle Bells on his casio. All in all it was OK, not that great. Since the Hall did not have a loo( at least mum couldn't find one), I had my first experience of our mother earth and boy did I enjoy it! Going to pee became the most exciting event of the evening, until mum decided enough was enough and took me back home. Spoil Sport!

Mum took me to the Railway Museum on Saturday ( yes I do know the week days and that Sat & Sun are holidays :-D ). Initially I refused to get down from mum's godi, but one look at the park there, the slide..I was off in a giffy. And then there was this toy train, which was simply amazing. I got 2 rounds on it, we even went through a tunnel :D. And oh, I even went to feed the fishes at Cauvery River. It was so much fun watching the fishes dance around to grab the food ball, and finish it off really quick.

I'm having an awesome time, mum says we are going back to the Railway Museum with B and this time she will not forget the camera. And nani says that we'll go to feed the fish every week,I also have a new year party to go to, so it looks like I'm going to have a great holiday and

Happy Holidays Everybody and a Happy New Year!

Nana ki chamchi kaun?

Main!

I have to sit on his lap when he has his breakfast. Lunch and dinner he is excused, simply because I fall asleep in mum's godi when they are all eating. I eat from his plate. He drops me to school, and he has to pick me up. Even if mum comes, I always ask for him. Thanks to me he is home on time...no early for lunch. I can never have enough of the car rides.

Mum says I have changed a lot. Grown taller, isn't that supposed to happen? All the new clothes I got for my b'day are very close to becoming small.

I totally love my day care now...can't miss it even for a day. So much so that mum has become to dread the weekends, that she used to enjoy so much. Ha! Like it makes a difference to me :P

Since I can climb up and down the stair by myself without holding on to anything or anybody, I run out the house as soon as I am up and have to be dragged screaming back inside.

I used to hate getting my feet dirty, wouldn't walk barefoot on the grass & the drive way, wouldn't enter the sand pit and insist on my feet being cleaned immediately at school. Now I can go barefoot everywhere. I love the feel of sand, dirt, concrete, tarred road and the mushy wet grass.

I have even begun to let mommy tie my hair up in a pony tail and yes, they are pulled off as soon as nana picks my up after school.

Love ringa-ringa roses, nani teri morni ke and ba ba black sheep... but the movie songs are still my fav. Mama has become very smart these days. He usually used to channel surf, always moving one level up now he just jumps to the channel he wants to watch. Simply because if any music channel comes on, he cannot watch anything else.. see ...I taught him to something which even mum and nani could not get him to do!

Rules of the house are as follows:

1. Anytime nana or mama come home in the car, I have to get a ride from the gate till they park the car.
2. Any time they leave, I still have to say bye and watch the car drive away.
3. No body can leave without kissing me good bye.
4. I will eat what you are eating, so you better watch out, if you do now want me to eat something, cause it ain't gonna happen if I see the forbidden food on your plate!
5. When mum's mobile rings I have to find it and give it to mum, never mind that by the time I get it, it stops ringing.
6. anytime you take a pic of me, you better show me that photo that very instant.
7. When I am around, mum should stay away from the laptop.
8. If mama is working on the comp and I need to watch my rhymes, he has to move the instant he is asked to.
9. I supervise the cleaning at home. Even show the maid how it is to be done. I do the same in nana's office too.
10. I decide the footwear I will wear.
11. Once I have gone to sleep, mum has one hour as her buffer time, she better come to bed then, I don't cry that much.

We went to Bangalore for a week, few days back and attended so many weddings. I met so many of my cousins, uncles and aunts. I was so confused! I just remembered the babies. And the car would play all my fav songs.. I got some wonderful gifts too. Santosh Mama gave me this cool Nursery Rhymes CD set. We also went to the supermarket with Pria didi and Raji mausi. Of course since mum was carrying me all the way there, Raji mausi was carrying her purse and I was making sure that she didn't run away with it. I found this cute baby doll there and sweet Raji mausi bought it for me. That of course made me really happy. I was really grumpy cause nana left me alone with mum and total strangers in a strange place and went away. Mama happened to be nearby, came to cheer me up for a few minutes cause nana told him I was really upset.

The baby doll is my baby. I feed it, apply cream, and even make the baby go su-su.. The 4 CD's are M.I.N.E. It was given to me and are mine alone. No body has the right to touch them. I can play with them as I please. After seeing them like a hundred times, I play catch with them, love to see the light reflect off them and they should always be near me.

I'm a big girl now, and I have to eat by my self. Rice, curds, dosa, idli, fruits.... aappi aappi. I'd love to cook it too only meanie mum does not allow me near the gas. But I stilllike to be carried by mum and nana. I love to see the moon and stars and go looking for them even during the day.

I'm also speaking words and picking them up really fast, but all say that ki main thoda tutlati hun... mum and nana are not worried but mama and nani are and they are planning to take me to dr. jag...lets see how that goes..

And did I tell you...I absolutely love footwear. Not just mine, but everybody's at home. I'm always wearing mum's and nani's sandals (which has a in a real tizzy cause mum wears her's all the time :P ) I don't spare nana and mama's shoes too. I can very easily identify their clothes and footwear, something mum and nani have not been able to do so ever!

Happy Christmas and New Year's in advance everybody. Mum is planning to take me to the club here, hopefully we will have a blast and not trouble her by staying in her godi all the time, like I did at the weddings. But they should have good music playing. Else there will be trouble in paradise !

Muah! Byeeeeeee.....

Too much Love?

Chubby cheeks and rabbit teeth, that is my imp. Just like her mama. And like him, her cheeks too get pulled and kissed by every tom, dick and harry. Till I got rude and pointedly told people - relatives, friends and total stranger to stop. Wasn't easy being rude, but it was getting out of hand with one aunt waiting to bite her cheeks.

Today whenever she wants to show her love and affection towards anybody, she pulls their cheeks and plants a kiss on the cheek, to adults and children alike. She loves kids, all are babies to her, irrespective of their age. She wants to hold them, kiss them, hug them... wants her mum to carry them. That is the one time that does not mind not being in my godi. Unlike other children who get possessive of their mothers when they carry or touch other kids, mine just loves it and wants me to carry them and cries when the kid is returned to the mother.

In her school, there are 3 kids younger to her. A 6 month, a 8 month and a year old kid. All with chubby cheeks. She is nuts about them. Always hugging and kissing them. The 1 year old took the longest time to adjust in the school and he is her fav. She is always running after him to hug and kiss him. Last week he kept running scared form her and she kept trying to pull him. She finally yanked him and planted a kiss on his cheek, only with her teeth, forming an "O" the front 4 teeth. Since the teachers know her affection for the younger ones, it was handled with explanation as to how she had hurt the kid. Since the child stays there till 6 pm, the mark had vanished withhte help of ice and the parents were not worried.

Yesterday, she does the same thing again, only harder, a perfect round. Deep dark red line. Thank fully no blood. And this time the teacher, hit her on her lips lightly, scolding her. All she wanted to do was kiss the child and again she was strong. I was least amused by imp's actions. The teacher was consoling me saying that its a small issue, bigger things happen with kids in a kiddie school. And the fact that they know she is nuts about babies esp. him! And this time his parents were not amused either. I know I would have been very upset too. Tomorrow I apologize to them, even if I have to reach early, cause I missed them today. And gave a bottle of Entrops at school, that will surely help.

My prayer is that she does not become a bully. That little boy is so scared of her or rather her affection. And everyday I'm going to hope I get no complaints about her.

So what does she eat?

I totally love junk food, street food. Burgers, Pizzas, Pani Puri, Bhel...I could live on it. When preg, every week I had to have Pani puri's at the near by stall. All this came to an end when I had my baby, with confinement and a strict diet. During my pregnancy, Uncle Jag had told me repeatedly, good quality breast milk is best for the baby, and breastfeed till 3 years max, this will build the baby's resistance power and he/she will rarely fall sick. I could only drop my jaw at the thought of breastfeeding till 3 years. Little did I realize, how close I would come to actually doing it.

When the first rashes started appearing I dismissed them as air borne an air borne allergy(using my new found intelligence form the books that I read) as a new born child does get affected by it. At 10 days old one does not expect something drastic. And the pediatrician wasn't worried either. 15 days old and it gets worse. The rashes have distinctive characteristics. There we 2 kinds of rashes. The first on her front(upper torso) and back, small transparent ones. From far they looked like water droplets. The second kind were scary. Boil like in clusters in folds of her skin. The pediatrician dismissed them as air borne rashes or due to the washing soap and detergent. And prescribed Neosporin, the surgical ointment. He also instructed us to stop her oil massages, as it could become worse. We started washing her clothes with reetha, still no change. And there was no way I was going to use surgical ointment on my baby.

Respite came in the form of Uncle Jag. He was not in Mysore. He did not see her when he made his diagnosis, but he was bang on target. He described the second type of a rash when I described the first over the phone. Lactose Intolerant. To say I was shattered is putting it mildly. I was having 3 glasses of milk in a day, as supposedly having fluids increases the breast milk. Immediately stopped having all milk products. Detoxification of my body for 10 days, and Entorps application for my imp. Took another 15 days for the rashes to clear out.

Lactose intolerance is the impaired ability to digest lactose (the naturally occurring sugar in milk). The enzyme lactase is needed to digest lactose, and a few children and many adults do not produce sufficient lactase to digest the milk sugar.

Curds is safe to have, because the lactose in the milk precursor is converted to lactic acid by the bacterial culture. The reduction of lactose bypasses the affected individuals' need to process the milk sugar themselves.

I started having LactoBascillius Acidophilus supplements and increased my intake of curds. Curds made from organic milk( milk from cows untouched by hormones or pesticides induced food) only. The packet milk/curds are terrible and worsened her condition. Switched to Soy milk and Ensure to ensure I get my required nutrients. To reconfirm the diagnosis, I tried half a glass of coffee, when she was 5 months old, the rashes started appearing again. Curds also has a higher content of calcium and today she loves her curds..

Every evening around 6 pm, my imp would start crying like clock work. And the crying would continue till next morning 6 AM. Only when held in the position of burping would she stop crying. The pediatrician prescribed colic drops, saying all babies get colicy, its natural. I didn't want to give her drops, and went back to Uncle Jag, who asked me to stop having wheat. Anything with wheat was out. Daliya, Laddoos, rotis, parathas, upma. I had to rethink my whole diet. My baby was diagnosed having Wheat/Gluten Intolerance. This happens when the intestines cannot digest the components of wheat. And with all the wheat I was eating, the gluten was solidifying in her intestines causing her pain & constipation. Uncle Jag had to manipulate & move the gluten further down her intestines. Watching this being done on a 3month baby is painful. Another thing that we did was Beetle Leaf compress. Take a leaf, heat the smoother side on a lit diya and apply on the stomach. Leave it overnight. We did this for about a month. And detoxified my body again. I became gluten intolerant too, just never realized it. So all products that contained wheat and gluten were removed from my diet.

We made a lot of diet and lifestyle changes. Wheat could not be cooked at home, since the fumes also created the same reaction in her. Switched to black tea and coffee. I breastfeed her for 2 years. Would have continued had my back not become an issue. I don't understand how doctors can say a child is allergic to breast milk. Its simply logically not possible. If the mother makes changes in her diet, and sticks with it, then the child will stay healthy. The babies react to foods eaten by the mother. Read the benefits here ( thanks to Sujatha for providing the link)

Its been 2 years now, and the lactose intolerance has gone down. I could take a cup of coffee and not be worried about my baby breaking out into hives or any other new reaction. I have not introduced wheat or milk products yet, and will not do so till she turns 7 years. According to Dr. Jag, it takes 5-7 years for a child's intestine to develop fully. And Wheat is best avoided, especially the ones available in India. They are Genetically Modified and infused with excess gluten. Wheat & Cows Milk are the main factor for asthma in children and adults as they are mucus inducing foods. My homeopath says that as a child I was lactose and gluten intolerant too, my parents don't remember. Earlier days parents would just take the medicines given by the doc and not many would have readily accepted a child being intolerant. Although my parents remember I had to be put on a certain diet. But he remembers and today he is the doc I turn to for my kiddo too.

Today she eats everything except those products that contain cows milk, wheat and gluten. I do not know if these intolerance's are life threatening, I am not willing to test it out. I will much rather wait till 7 years. People ask how we manage. Its by checking everything. Labels , ingredients and asking questions. Anything with wheat flour, milk solids, corn syrup, permitted artificial flavors are out. Bread, cakes, biscuits all contain wheat and milk solids. And where we are unsure we ask, pointed questions.

We are fortunate that Mysore is waking up to a healthy lifestyle, primarily thanks to Dr. Jagdish of Jag Therapy. Organic foods, Soy & Rice based food, Dietary Supplements, all are available though a lot of wheat flour substitutes are not easily available.

Selecting a day care & school was very difficult. I needed one where the teachers and helpers have had experience in taking care of children with intolerance's and allergies. Strict instructions with a list of things that imp can and cannot have. She has a helper who looks after her primarily, & the staff ensure that she does not eat other children food. she is naturally curios and wants to try new things. But I'd rather that she try them with me than at her day care. The day care also does not encourage cakes and chocolates for birthdays, a major plus point. Imp is yet too young to understand that she cannot eat certain foods. But have taught her to eat the foods that I eat. So if there are snacks or foods that she would like to have but I'm not eating them, she will not ask to eat, will be quiet content with what I give her.

I have become more vocal and shameless. I ask for the menu before any social commitment. If the menu is not friendly I either carry imp's food or ask for fruits. Close friends and relatives now know and are prepared with friendly food. Its not an easy journey. Every place we visit or plan to visit happens only if friendly food is available.

So what does she eat?

1. Flours - Soy, Rice, Buckwheat, Amaranth
2. All vegetables, fruits and greens.
3. Par- boiled Rice/Red rice
4. Whole Grams
5. Dry Fruits - Almonds, Figs, Raisin, Walnuts. (Cashew should be avoided as it is high in cholesterol and damages a child's liver. The baby hungrily absorbs and stores up all the nutrients from the mother when it is in the womb in its liver. And uses it when in no mood to eat. :-) )
6. Soy Milk and Pediasure
   

Being aware certainly helps. Majority of doctors in India are not aware of intolerance's and allergies. They simply cannot fathom an Indian kid falling in these categories. But they do. This post is in accordance to the Food Allergy Awareness Month started by Tharini to create & increase awareness of Fool Allergies in Children. There is a huge difference between a food allergy and food intolerance, which Tharini has done a good job of highlighting it. Please share your stories and comments and spread the word around. If anybody has any questions, ask away.

Worth Mentioning, is the list of dos and don'ts put up by Dot Mom.

The Burday Cake and its moments

Hey Everybody!

First off, a small confession to make...like my mum I'm getting addicted to this blog. Its simply too much fun!

I had great fun on my burday too. Mum being the meanie she is insisted on dropping me off to school. but she is forgiven cause all my friends sang for me :D I was in seventh heaven. Distributed baby apples and chaklis; instead of sandwiches and choclates, delighting the teachers (my mum is the only one who seems to send healthy snacks). Kept singing Happy Burday for the whole week. Anybody who called on the mobiles or the land line had to first talk to me and wish me, so what if my burday was over!



I got really cool gifts too. Nana and Nani got me loads of dresses and shoes. Mama got me the cute doggie and mum got me touch and feel books. I totally love them. And how can I forget the cake! It was simply delicious. Strawberry Rice cake, was yummmm..the cherries on it were better. We went out for dinner, and I insisted on having more cherries, after I saw them in mum's drink. Then next day I got a bad throat thanks to the chilled cherries. I even got to wear a ring, which was given to my mum by her great grand dad.




Yet to go to the orphanage though. We can go only on a sunday, since all the children will be in school during the week. And ever since my burday, sundays have been packed what with my maushi coming over and attending function. They better take me there soon..

All in all it was an awesome day week. Next year mum has promised me a Chocolate Rice Cake :)

Happy Burday to you... :)

hey everybody

I'm back and its my b'day today, so people wish for me ok...

now lets get down to business...

Did I or didn't I tell u my mum's a meanie. first she weans me off, second she gets a new maid for me and the worst... she has put me in school, though she is calling it day care...

hurmph...

of course I might now react when I see my home or the familiar route home but I do hold on to my mum tightly as soon as I see that lane where that horrendous school is. Doesn't she feel sad in spite of me crying, she doesn't even come back when I cry, just turns the other way around and goes off...even on my b'day!

Meanie nah...

But the good part is that she lets me sit on her lap when she is driving, does it matter that I refuse to sit on anybody else's lap on the way to school..

Mothers I tell you, esp mine is totally techno defunct...she can't even get to play the dvd and the television, the remote always stops working.. I think blaming the remote or the power cut is just an excuse to get me to stop watching songs.

I no longer get conned by her to drink up my milk. Ha! I will drink only if it is cold. yup I love anything that is chilled. My mama got me this amazing teething ring, which had to be chilled and its simply amazing chewing on it. Mum says now I'm too old for it and is refusing to get me another one, so what if it would be the third one!

I have very strong hearing powers, so even if the TV is in a low volume and I hear my songs, from Jab We Met, Welcome, Partner and Sing is king I come running from where ever I am, eve if I am sleeping. No body has the right to close the main door, it is MY job. I get up from my sleep if I hear them closing the door. So now I have everybody trained just right, call me when you have to open or close the doors. Call me when the dogs have to be fed, else there is hell to pay.

Thank god my mum doesn't get excited these days when she hears me say a new word, man she can get soooo embarassing, I tell you!

OK so I will admit the day care is not soo bad, once I stop crying. They have rabbits, birds and dogs. And the aunties are so good. There are even small babies. But there is one boy who loves to play with my bow-bow more than his and he is always gunning for my bow-bow. They even have lots of blocks and puzzles for me to do, nursery rhymes..it is fun, but I still want my mommy there. She was there for the first 2 days, dunno why she cant be there all the time. She should just get a job there!

I mentioned earlier that I love to look at snaps right, and I also luve to get my photo taken, I'm always posing :D but the paranoid mum that I have she just refuses to put them up on her blog. She can talk about me but she cant put up my pics? Double Standards I tell you!!

These days I like to do everything on my own, but my ever controlling mother just does not let me eat and bathe on my own. But she wants me to sleep on my own. Yea right like I am ever going to do that. That is my revenge :D sweet sweet revenge :P

Like mum, I love lights too and I esp loved the Dasara lighting in the whole city. Couldn't get enough of it. I kept directing mama to where I wanted to go and the sweety pie that he is, he relented. Mum is going to put up the pics soon, just as soon as I give her the time to do it, that is :)

And Ooh..Before I forget, mum is taking me to the orphanage, to celebrate my birthday. She says it will keep me grounded (whatever that means!!) and I will also get new friends. And yes I am waiting to cut and bite into my cake tonight, mum says its a special strawberry rice cake. Last year we had a chocolate cake and I wasn't allowed to eat that, but this one mum says I can have as much as I want. Ain't that grand :)

Bye for now, hugs and kisses to all ... muah... :)

p.s in case you are all wondering why the title reads the way it does, simply because that is how I wish everybody including me :D

checko-slow-wakia bolo

So we're watching the ads on television, yes we are not allowed to see anything else, ads with kids totally rock! And a fairly new ad of a Unit Linked Plan, comes up. It has a toddler with excited parents, trying to get the child to say daddy, mummy and Czechoslovakia. the kid manages the firs t2 beautifully but shows his tongue out at Czechoslovakia. The parents go back to reading the newspaper and some other stuff, and the child slowly says checko-slo-vakia..

Now my Imp is watching this ad, transfixed. My bro decides to have some fun.

Mama: Imp, checko-slow-wakia bolo

Imp: Giving a side glance holds out her left palm, like the cops stopping you at the traffic signal, and says Mamaaaa....with a drag..meaning why are you disturbing me? And yes her expression and tone says it all. Few seconds later, as if to explain what she is doing, since mama was reading the paper, says haathi and points towards the television... an ad with an Elephant being given a bath is on...and just like the earlier ad, here the mama goes back to the paper shaking his head and mommy has a nice laugh...

In a lighter vein...

Hi Everybody,

I'm the imp and this is a guest post on my mothers blog. I wanted to know why she spends so much time on the stupid laptop that I'm not allowed to touch, but whose scroll mouse I totally love. My mum is so serious, she needs to take things lightly, I don't know why she keeps getting harassed for no reason. I'm growing up, I'm naturally curios and naturally naughty. So what if I,

1. Love to apply powder to the bed and the floor. Thank god for the poor quality checks at the manufacturing plant, else the powder would not come out with the seal on.
2. Love to apply cream, on everybody's face and hands. And of course the floor and furniture also.
3. I'm very good at sweeping, dusting and swabbing. But my mum and nani don't let me. They always disturb me when I take the broom from the maid and don't let her sweep the floor.
4. I love to rip apart my mum's wallet. It is in tatters, the clip is broken and its absolutely amazing when I hold it upside down and everything falls down.
5. I love to do everything on my own, except sleeping.
6. My nani is very upset that I have spoiled her precious kitchen cabinets. Since I couldn't open them, I would keep playing with teh knobs, and now they are so loose and one has fallen off and cant be opened. The best part I learned to open the cabinets and take out everything :D
7. I can finally open the fridge too, cant wait to empty out everything, but right now its just fun to shut the door real hard. I hope mum does not find that key she was looking for to lock the fridge.
8. Sleep is such a total waste of time. I cant wait to start day care, dunno why mum is taking so long to decide. Total spoiler.
9. Thank God for the mudiya's that nani keeps at home, else how would I climb to get my creams and powders. So now mum keeps them at the very end of the table, but pretty soon I will reach there too..
10. My mum's mobile is my own. Nobody else can receive calls or make them, or sms. Mum is a sweetheart, she downloaded the Pappu dance number so that I can listen to it all the time. Too bad for her its also her ringing tone, I'm sure she is going to change it soon.
11. Shah Rukh Khan is the ultimate.
12. I like to listen and watch only the songs and no boring numbers for me, they have to be the latest numbers. The teddy's on 9xM are too cute.
13. Every paper has to be read by me first. Every book that mum brings from the library has to be shown to me first.
14. Every time my nana or mama come home, I have to have to get a ride in the car, through the drive way, till they park it for the night.
15. I have to wave goodbye to them from the gate. Else I do not eat and get very very upset.
16. No clips, pins or rubber bands for my hair. And my mum is not cutting my hair ever again! She does not pin up her hair so why should I?
17. I love to walk barefoot all around especially outside and land up getting bit by various insects and rashes, yet as my mum wonders when will I ever learn.
18. I hate to stop playing to go for a bath and create a huge ruckus when I have to get out also :P
19. When we go out, I love to try the loos there. Okay, so one time I went 3 times in a span of 15 min, just so I could check out the bathroom. It was a new place. And for no reason mum just lost her temper and refused to take me again. Thank god for nana, he is such a doll, can twist him around my finger..(even though he calls me miss drama)
20. I don't like to eat the same food twice in a week. I want something new, if momma cant give it to me, then I'd rather go hungry than eat the same drabby stuff.
21. I love to look at snaps, esp the old B&W ones, my nani has kept them in such good condition, she is worried that I will spoil them as They are my property now and nobody has the right to touch them or any of the other old snaps.

phew! I'm tired. And I'm going to sleep now. And if there is something I have forgotten I'm sure my mum will let you all know.

Please tell momma to take a chill pill! Please .... Pretty please..

Until next time Bye everybody.

Nothing but the whole family...

.....her whole family...my angel's world- her nana, nani, mama, and mum.

is what my daughter wants all the time. My dad is away usually on business (diff town) and is home maybe once or twice a week for 2-3 days. It is those days she is the most happiest . She sleeps well, eats well and generally is very happy and content.

Ever since I started breast feeding her, I have had to stop having coffee, as it would make her hyperactive. not to mention that she is lactose intolerant also, so that would mean only black coffee or tea. I started having coffee only after she turned one year, when I decreased the frequency or changed my timings.

However for the last one week I have this crazy craving for coffee after breakfast. So I'd have my coffee, give her a bath, put her to sleep and finish my work (try to) in the 1-2 hours that she slept. And then she would refuse to sleep in the afternoons, and I began to wonder if Coffee was playing truant again.

My dad was home the last 3 days, and she slept like a baby(literally) morning and afternoon. And no I did not have my coffee those 3 days in the morning, had it in the evening.

Today, my dad left after breakfast, and she did not sleep. No Coffee either.

Moral of the story: does not matter if I have coffee or not, she will sleep only if her nana is home and tells her to sleep.

Sigh! .... looking at the bright side, It ain't coffee :P

Road Trip with Baby

A road trip where the maximum time is spent sitting in the car with no space to walk,move and explore is sure shot way to get anybody restless, so imagine an active year old enduring the journey!

We started early morning, wanting to reach Tirupathi early going via Vellore. We wanted to visit the Golden Temple. Beautiful place. She enjoyed the ride, loved the cool breeze of the car window rolled down, enjoyed looking at the cows, dogs and the monkeys apart form the vehicles on the road. Fell asleep. Walked around the restaurants when we stopped. Of course carried lunch for her which she choose not to eat fully; preferred breast milk. She enjoyed the Golden Temple. And them promptly fell asleep on the way to Tirupathi from there.

There is something about traveling in cars that lulls babies to sleep. Except mine. Well to give her due credit, the first few times she traveled in a car she did, but lately NO. Not until she gets her milk, irrespective of being on a full stomach! And when the car stops she promptly sits up and gives you a look as if to say " cant you even let me sleep? It's bad enough I do not have my bed to sleep on!"

And when we reached close to midnight, all she wanted to do was run around the whole place. All of us, esp me was so tired due to lack of sleep and we had to be at the temple at 5 AM. Finally after a hot bath an hour later, she is asleep. Only to be wide awake at the Temple again. My angel was the only baby awake so early in the morning. Every other child was sleeping. So quite naturally she was the center of attention and a great pass time for everybody else.

Now my angel is potty trained, but for some reason she refused to go potty. I even had baby wipes just in case, but no. She stuck to her guns and only went when we reached back home.

Angel did fine, just fine. It was the rest of us who had a hard time handling the heat and this when we are the ones with more experience in traveling by car.

Free Falling

My angel loves to free fall. Esp on the bed, cushions and on the divan. And if she knows that you are are there to catch her, even on the floor. Though she prefers the soft landing. She has started to balance herself and after a few practice runs on the softer falls, she has started balancing on the floor these days.

That she hasn't started walking yet is of no worry to me, relatives be damned. I do not want to rush her. My naturaopath advised introducing her to a walker to build her courage. She loves to explore and my arms and back are a sore witness to it :)

Will be getting her a walker tomorrow, lets see how that goes. Hopefully I will be able to do much more work. Fingers crossed!

Wow just realized its been over 2 months since my last post.. like they say better late than never.

First Cut

My angel had her first fall two days back, she bled for the first time and had me in panic. It turned out to be a minor cut, but made me realize that whenever your child is hurt, the mother should never panic, instead should be calm and collected. Else you will only land up scaring your child more.

It was also the first day that she tasted ice. It was a usual day, lunch time. She like to crawl and play around while having her lunch. And as usual she was running away from the spoon when she fell flat on the floor. She cut her lip, of course she didn't let me see or touch her lip until much later. Her lip had swollen and after some ice rub, it was much better. But not without scaring me and a hospital visit in panic!