Cradle of Joy

Ria's first prize in school

2011-12-05T20:36:00.000+05:30

Ria got the 2nd prize in the singing competition for UKG last week.

Nihal turns 1

2011-11-22T21:34:00.000+05:30

And he shares his Bday with Aishwarya's daughter

Yogi asleep

2011-11-07T18:15:00.000+05:30

At the Tibetan monastery in Coorg

2011-11-05T21:06:00.000+05:30

With my cousin Aashish

2011-11-05T21:05:00.000+05:30

Enroute to Kabini with Ammichi

2011-07-04T20:48:00.000+05:30

The bartender@Kabini

2011-07-04T20:47:00.000+05:30

Peekaboo

2011-06-25T19:01:00.000+05:30

5 and counting

2011-06-09T05:35:00.000+05:30

The 3 monkeys

2011-05-07T13:10:00.000+05:30

Ria with Anette (L) and Neha (R) making the most incredible expressions for the camera.

One for my sister

2011-05-07T09:20:00.000+05:30

Two-gether

2011-05-07T09:18:00.000+05:30

Return to innocence

2011-05-07T09:13:00.000+05:30

Happy and content

2011-01-11T19:53:00.000+05:30

Sleep in heavenly peace

2010-12-04T13:57:00.000+05:30

How does a mother deliver a baby ??

2010-11-29T13:16:00.000+05:30

Birth of a Hero

2010-11-18T21:23:00.000+05:30

Ria's lil' baby bro.

Definitely male

2010-11-17T12:29:00.001+05:30

Ria has someone to call her chechi now and she is thrilled about that.
She has been blessed with a baby brother on 16th Nov, 9.12 P.M weighing 3.28 kgs.
The tagline for this post has been inspired by this awesome ad Definitely Male

Give me wings to fly

2010-09-17T00:11:00.000+05:30

Ria taking a leap off a flight of stairs at the Rose Garden @ Yercaud

Mehendi craze

2010-08-05T22:35:00.000+05:30

Ria turns 4

2010-05-09T13:49:00.000+05:30

Ria turned 4 on 5th May. Astonished to see them growing up so fast. About a month back we asked her what she wanted as a Bday gift. Without blinking, she said she wanted a 'pink bicycle. So we said..we'll see. Then about 2 weeks before her bday, we asked her if she wanted Bday cake and Biryani for her Bday. She thought for sometime and then said 'No'. We were perplexed for a minute. She then added, that she only wants a bicyle. Only then did we realise that she must have felt that, if we bought her the cake and biryani, we may not get her the bicycle. She could sacrifice them for the cycle of her dreams, couldn't she? :-)

Anyways, above are the photos of both the black forrest Bday cake and bicyle. Could not get the photo of the biryani :-)

Ria and Asmi take rest @ Vythri

2010-05-09T13:30:00.003+05:30

Welcome Rinumama into the family

2010-05-09T13:26:00.000+05:30

Her favorite Appuachacha finally decided its time to tie the knot.
Love you Rinumama

Wake up sid uncle has a new fan

2010-02-15T20:56:00.001+05:30

Ria has fallen head-over-heels in love with wake up sid uncle aka Ranbir Kapoor. Every time his song comes on TV, she is mesmerized and once even went to the extent of kissing the TV screen when his song was being played !!!
3.5 years and her first crush ;-)

Jumbo the elephant

2009-11-10T07:33:00.000+05:30

Cross legged

2009-11-10T07:31:00.000+05:30

Just outside our cottage at Masinagudi (5hrs drive from Bangalore at the foothills of the Nilgiris).

Perched atop for a birds eye view

2009-11-10T07:27:00.000+05:30

Modern Art

2009-10-11T19:02:00.001+05:30

Ths is Ria's stunning representation of God knows what. Her interpretation is that it is a cat and something else.Well..here is my interpretation. It shows a field where animals are grazing. In the horizon you can see the brilliant red of the setting sun. On the right side is the paddy fields.There are some objects you cannot relate to as well..they are the UFO's streaking across the sky :-)
Comments are welcome on other interpretations of this modern art painting.

The classic passport photo pose

2009-09-16T08:58:00.001+05:30

The geek@work

2009-08-30T12:40:00.000+05:30

Rock on

2009-08-30T12:37:00.000+05:30

Ria (supporting vocalist) with her cousins, Aasha (lead vocalist) and Aashish (lead guitarist)

3 and growing

2009-05-20T11:06:00.001+05:30

We celebrated Ria's 3rd birthday at home. For the first time, we had a formal birthday party at home. Called a few kids from the neighbourhood too. One of her favorite dolls is Dora. So we decided to have the cake in the shape of Dora. Ria loved every bit of it especially the blowing of the candle, the cake, the new birthday dress and the many 'gif's' she got :-)

Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin

2009-04-04T21:56:00.000+05:30

Policeman ready for the parade

2009-02-14T10:31:00.001+05:30

Ria ready in the fancy dress for the Annual day celebrations in her play school.

Harmonica player

2009-02-14T10:03:00.000+05:30

Fresh catch

2009-02-14T10:01:00.000+05:30

Wish you all a very Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T18:36:00.000+05:30

Hold on..the super cop is on her way

2008-12-15T07:59:00.000+05:30

Desi girl

2008-12-07T17:14:00.002+05:30

Ria in the typical Indian attire - The saree !

Vignettes of Goa

2008-10-12T23:25:00.003+05:30

The sun, sand, beaches and feni. Need I say more. A totally intoxicating experience !

The top 5 to-do things in Goa:-

Goan Cuisine
Beaches
River cruise
Train journey to Goa
South Goa Tour

The Rabbi

2008-09-27T16:32:00.000+05:30

Happy 60th Birthday Appacha

2008-09-27T16:22:00.002+05:30

Seeing the picture you might think it is Ria's Bday ! It actually is Appacha's 60th Birthday. She was so excited seeing the cake and candle.Most of the Bday cake went to Ria's stomach that she hardly had anything else after that.

Ice Ice baby

2008-08-10T23:40:00.003+05:30

All of us love ice-creams, don't we? Children are no exception as we discovered. This was the first or second time we were giving her an ice-cream. You can see how much they love it! Somehow they are very averse to anything hot but the other extreme is no problem for them.They literally bite into it, to get more of it and then realise that they are left with less of it! (something like the salary hikes we get).The classic grape/orange stick is still available.When I was a child, I really loved them. Apart from the sweet taste, it made our tongue turn maroon or orange. Looking into the mirror after that, gave a different kind of thrill :-)
One note of caution to parents though. Like the stock markets, you gotta know when to give them ice-cream. Never give them ice-creams:-

During the onset of monsoon/winter
When they just start going to playschool
When they are just beginning to develop immunity (2-3 years)

It acts as a strong catalyst for them to get cold/cough/fever. Once they get them ,every parent will wish that they never got them in the first place! Better to avoid one ice-cream than live through a month of their crankiness.
The caption was inspired by this group called "Vanilla Ice".The only song I remember was a rap song of theirs, with the above title.

The cycle of life

2008-08-10T23:07:00.002+05:30

Yes... as promised in one of my earlier posts....what you see in the picture is indeed the "red hot item" that we gifted Ria on her Birthday. When this photo was taken (about a month back), the front wheel was already shuddering, like I used to, before my vice-princi in school. As I post this on the blog, the horn has made a blaring exit as well (am I glad that it did!). The pillion is none other that the oh_so_adorable Joanna (Papa's cousin sister's daughter). This tricycle has performed many duties thus far. Some of the noteworthy examples are :-

As a mobile Pharmacy. It has a ready stock of all the available medicines that she turns to whenever you say you have a small bruise or wound.
As a touring vehicle inside the house whenever her legs get weary.
As a mode of transport for all her dolls (they are the pillion)
As a mobile house at times when she gets fed up of her lil' house that I make for her with her mat.
As a seat to have her food/milk etc.

But when you see it from a parents perspective, I see it as a tool to build camaraderie (with her dolls, with other kids and with things close to her). The tricycle should be and will be part of the arsenal of any growing child.It is one of those things that anybody would associate with their childhood. Am sure all of us have fond memories of our own version of the tricycle from our growing years. It is an asset that is, as Mastercard says "Priceless".

Twin sisters

2008-06-25T21:26:00.000+05:30

Because our children are watching

2008-06-06T10:17:00.004+05:30

http://www.walkthetalk.com/video/BOCAW/bocaw.htm

Nice video that talks about how our behaviour as parents, has a profound impact on our chidren. They tend to catch on things very fast as I have noticed. They notice even small things that we do or say. We realise it later only when we see them do or say the same.

Be good!

Taking mama for a ride

2008-05-24T21:17:00.003+05:30

Been to Chikmagalur a month back and stayed at a home stay there. Their kids had a couple of tricycles to which Ria took a liking. Every time we passed them, she wanted to warm the cycle seats a bit ! Though the caption is every bit a pun, won't be surprised if it becomes reality soon :-)
[P.S - Yes..you guessed it right..our Birthday gift to her was a tricycle. A post on the red hot item will follow soon]

Haute Couture

2008-05-18T09:38:00.000+05:30

Two and going strong

2008-05-05T22:18:00.002+05:30

Ria turned two today. The last one year saw her graduate from taking a few steps to walking confidently, climbing stairs and slowly developing a personality. It was more of mental development over the last year and she now has a vocabulary of atleast two dozen words. She is able to understand most of what we tell her and is able to communicate according to the context too in words (some which we understand and some which we don't).As she is able to interact more it is much more enjoyable to engage in child talk with her. She enjoyed getting gifts and opening them. The higlight was the blowing of the candle and cutting the Bday cake (that is shown above).

Begum Ria

2008-03-29T13:03:00.002+05:30

The Fashion Diva

2008-03-16T19:28:00.000+05:30

The Tennis Ace

2008-01-27T10:31:00.000+05:30

Ria toasting the victory of Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open in her Tennis attire

Jack in the box

2008-01-15T12:36:00.000+05:30

Ria has converted the oven box into her new home. She spends time inside feeding and entertaining her friends (her numerous dolls). Sometimes she closes the top of the box and plays hide and seek with us. Its really surprising to see how kids keep themselves occupied with the most mundane of things.

Satellite image of a cyclonic depression

2008-01-15T10:32:00.001+05:30

One size too big

2007-12-10T22:23:00.000+05:30

These days her favorite activity is to walk around the house in slippers..not hers though but that of others !

Supper is ready

2007-12-10T22:18:00.001+05:30

Diwali Dhamaka

2007-11-15T11:58:00.000+05:30

Ria in her resplendent Diwali attire given by her g'parents.

You don't know what it's like to love somebody

2007-11-15T10:14:00.000+05:30

Sprite Commercial - For more amazing video clips, click here

Boy's Scouts motto : Be Prepared

H-A-P-P-Y C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N-S D-A-Y

School Time

2007-11-04T22:48:00.000+05:30

Don't get deceived by the caption..just that these days when Papa get back from office, the first thing Ria wants is his bag and and then walks around with it like a big girl. On a lighter note, maybe the software companies might even recruit her soon, give her a 3 month training course and start billing her to beat the appreciating rupee !!

With my crash test dummy

2007-10-22T23:18:00.001+05:30

Ria sitting on her car seat (inside the house) cradling her crash test dummy aka Boots in her hands.

Gypsy Queen

2007-10-01T22:18:00.001+05:30

With Mama's scarf

Casper the friendly ghost

2007-10-01T22:09:00.000+05:30

In Papa's shirt, she reminded us of Casper, of the animated cartoon series fame.

Happy Teachers Day

2007-09-12T09:16:00.000+05:30

Making a sweeping statement

2007-08-27T17:22:00.001+05:30

Well..we have decided to introduce her to the basic chores (wrapped in a different form) of life at an early age. Introducing the latest fad called sweepercise. How does one do it ?

Wear comfortable clothing
Take a fluffy broom
Pump up the music (any dance or techno number should do)
Start sweeping (every nook and corner)
Do the above for about 10 minutes and watch those inches magically vanish !

With my favorite cousins

2007-08-26T19:50:00.000+05:30

Posing with her cousins Aasha "The Chef-par-excellence" and Aashish "Mr. Cartwheel Man". Thanks for all the fun we had, when you were in India. Miss you a lot.

Quotable Quotes

2007-08-25T08:40:00.000+05:30

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. -- Phyllis Diller

Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children. Now I have six children and no theories. - John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester quote

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. - Carl Sandburg

You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they're going. - P.J. O'Rourke

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. -- Elizabeth Stone

I guess the real reason that my wife and I had children is the same reason that Napoleon had for invading Russia: it seemed like a good idea at the time. -- Bill Cosby

Parents of teens and parents of babies have a lot in common. They spend a great deal of time trying to get their kids to talk.

A mother's patience is like a tube of toothpaste -- it's never quite gone.

A perfect example of minority rule is a baby in the house.

Call of the wild

2007-08-19T22:52:00.000+05:30

Had been to Mysore when Sunil's Sister and family came to Bangalore for a few days. Kids love animals and so we took all of them to the Mysore Zoo. It was very well maintained and all the kids had a 'whale' of a time watching the animals, birds and reptiles that are part of the landscape. The above snap is a collage of the lil' one surrounded by the big one's.

Fish out of water

2007-08-18T21:12:00.000+05:30

Had been for Sunil's family reunion (after 10 long years !) to GRT Temple Bay near Mahabs close to Chennai. Thought we'd introduce Ria to the swimming pool. She took to it like a fish takes to water. Thoroughly enjoyed herself splashing water all around. The above pic of Ria in her swimsuit was taken just before she took the plunge into the unknown (till then) :-)

Citius, Altius, Fortius

2007-08-06T10:02:00.000+05:30

Ria is 15 months old today..does time fly or what !!! The update is that she is growing "Faster, Higher and Stronger". Tipping the scales at 10 and moving like a bee to explore new horizons, it is amazing to wonder how a young mind is eager to explore (goes into the room even when its dark) and confident (have never seen her looking down when she walks/runs..though this has resulted in a lot of spills :-)) and knows to show unconditonal love (showers us with a marathon of kisses for no reason at all sometimes !). Sometimes I wonder...can we learn something from them ??

We will..we will rock you

2007-08-06T09:49:00.000+05:30

One of Ria's favorite spot is the rocking chair at her appacha's house. She plonks herself there and asks us to rock the chair ! Thought we'd complete the picture by making her adorn her ammachi's spectacles too. Makes for a pleasant 'sight'..doesn't it ?

Crouching tigress, Hidden dragon

2007-06-25T09:34:00.000+05:30

Ria sleeps on her stomach most of the time. However, yesterday she decided to sleep in a new pose called the 'Crouching tigress, Hidden dragon' pose as can be seen in the photo. Aah..yes..you might well ask..where is the dragon !! well..the dragon is hiding behind the camera. And..yes..you all know the Oscar winning movie that the caption is inspired from :-) zzzzzzzz.....

Polka dance

2007-06-10T16:05:00.000+05:30

The Mahatma

2007-05-21T22:04:00.000+05:30

You must be the change you want to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi

With her favorite Achachen

2007-05-13T09:05:00.000+05:30

Ria with her one-and-only Achachen (Tara's brother). Wishing him a very very happy B'day today (May 12th) and hoping that all his wishes come true. In fact, Ria's due date was also 12th but she decided to come exactly a week earlier. The 2 Taureans are mutual fans of each other to the hilt.

Turned One today

2007-05-06T06:01:00.000+05:30

Birds eye view

2007-04-15T18:25:00.000+05:30

Carefully perched atop the cliff (her gappa), this bald headed eaglet surveys terra firma in search of her prey. You can also see the teeth making it appearance (one below and one above). Another milestone crossed.

Dancing Queen

2007-04-01T12:11:00.000+05:30

The Bald and the Beautiful

2007-03-25T22:56:00.000+05:30

It been really hot for the last two weeks here in Bangalore, so, we thought of giving Ria some respite from the heat. What better way than a complete shave ! Her face looks so different now. She seems much happier (as seen in the pic) but others around her seem forlorn when they see her without her hair ! If not the dense Amazon forest, we hope that she is atleast able to sport a Savannah kinda hairdo for her first B'day :-)

My Bathtub

2007-03-25T22:49:00.000+05:30

Went for a short trip to 'God's Own Country' aka Kerala last week. It was so hot and humid there that Ria never wanted to come out of her bathtub. :-)

Metamorphosis

2007-03-12T17:16:00.000+05:30

It seems just like yesterday when Tara was expecting. Time truly flies !! A year has passed since the last ultrasound scan (pic taken a year back), when we could see the foetus, complete with limbs, spine (top left) etc. We could also see the 4 chambers of the heart pumping !! I still remember seeing her stretch her hands and legs in the womb as if she was waking up from hibernation disturbed by some odd object poking her from outside :-) And now, its hard to believe that Ria was like that 10 months ago ! Seeing this metamorphosis, 'transforms' me into a poet.

It's yesterday once more

It seems just like yesterday,
that the doc said, u'd be parents in May.
Our joy knew no bounds,
eagerly expecting baby sounds.
The scan showed her heart,
her spine, her limbs and every other part.
We got ready for the d-day,
not knowing what we'd expect on the way.
For a healthy baby we asked,
An Angel is what we got.

Hide and Seek

2007-03-11T22:46:00.000+05:30

Starfish

2007-03-01T20:53:00.000+05:30

With Meeta Aunty

2007-03-01T10:24:00.000+05:30

My favorite Grandparents

2007-03-01T10:02:00.000+05:30

My Ammachi (Mama's Mom)

My Appacha (Mama's Dad)

My Gamma (shortform for Grandma :-) Papa's Mom)

My Gappa (Papa's Dad)

Look !!! What a catch

2007-02-19T13:34:00.000+05:30

We cast our nets far and wide in the river Cauvery in search of the largest fresh water fish in India called Mahseer that is found in these waters. But instead we came up with a different kinda catch :-) as seen in the pics above. Well..we actually had been to Bheemeshwari over the weekend. Its a fishing camp on the banks of river Cauvery. Its about 100km from Bangalore. Ria was a lil' off color as she was down with slight fever (due to the measles vaccination she had taken a week earlier ) and also because of the long tiring drive and the change in environment. I guess all this made her feel all the more tired and the one place where she was really happy was the hammock. You can see a wee bit of the river Cauvery in one of the pics.

All straddled up

2007-02-11T16:09:00.000+05:30

What you can see is Ria sitting on the cot. What you can't, is a long mirror in front of her ! This is one of her favorite spots in the house. When you put her here, she is all smiles and giggles seeing her own reflection. She gets so excited that she starts shaking her legs vigorously much like a jockey on the home stretch. Earlier she never knew it was her own reflection. Now she has developed enough cognitive skills to know that. Amazing how babies learn things so fast considering the vast aount of new information their brains need to assimilate !!. I think as we grow up we just become dumber and dumber.

Budding Hula dancer

2007-02-11T15:50:00.000+05:30

Compass

2007-01-22T14:00:00.000+05:30

It seems that she has swallowed a compass recently because we have observed that she always settles in a N-S position when we place her on her baby cot in the night. We always place her along the length of the cot (E-W) when we go to sleep but when we wake up in the morning we see her curled up sleeping blissfully along the width of the cot as seen in the pic ! Not sure how she finds this position comfortable. As an afterthought, it could be that it mimics her positon in the womb ????.....Enlightening answers are most welcome :-) Her arrival has most certainly given a new 'direction' to our lives !

Ria and a quarter

2007-01-22T13:50:00.000+05:30

Had been to Chennai to attend Sunil’s cousin’s daughter’s (Joanna - the other baby in the pic) naming ceremony last weekend. We had a barbecue dinner on the terrace the previous night and the above snap was taken there. Seen in the picture is about a quarter of Ria’s extended family (Sunil’s cousins). Ria seems to be more interested in the chicken than in the camera ! The caption is inspired by this popular rock band in Bangalore called 'Thermal And A Quarter'.

Cleopatra Thea Philopator

2007-01-09T10:02:00.000+05:30

Of late she has been living like a queen. Food being brought to her...sleeping on a very comfy baby cot..daily body massage etc. Looks like it all has gotten to her head..so much so that very often these days she poses like a queen too !! Won't be surprised if very soon you see mamma and pappa standing on her either side with a large fan in their hand. All this reminded me of the great Cleopatra and hence this B&W shot.

Santa Claus is coming to town

2007-01-02T17:01:00.000+05:30

It was my first Xmas and was throughly pampered.The day started early with a visit to the church at 7 A.M for the Xmas morning service to wish Jesus Christ a very happy B'day. We then got back and mamma immediately started work for the afternoons feast. While pappa entertained me with his antics mamma whipped up some mouth watering fish packets (something like fried spring rolls stuffed with fish). Ammichi (the cook par excellence) made some chicken biryani, raitha, delicious shepherd’s pie, Goan fish curry and pappad. We started the feast with some wine and ended it off with some finger licking Xmas pudding. We put up the Xmas star outside our home and decorated our home with some decorations, balloons and the ubiquitous Xmas tree. It was a nice way to end the year and hope the coming year is filled with many more surprises like this.

Sleep in heavenly peace

2006-12-22T16:16:00.000+05:30

Happy Xmas

2006-12-21T10:14:00.000+05:30

Would like to wish all the aunties and uncles a very very happy Christmas and a joyous and prosperous New Year

These are a few of my favorite things

2006-12-15T14:50:00.000+05:30

Nestum all over and on my frock too
Doing potty wherever I want to
Giving a broad grin when I get attention
Cerelac too..but oh please don't mention
These are a few of my favorite things

Red colored sailors dress and white woolen overalls
Pink colored hat and going to the malls
Leaves on the trees and the mat on the floor
Using the stroller to get through the door
These are a few of my favorite things

Orange juice, Mousambi juice makes my motion sometimes loose
But who cares a damn !..I can do what I choose !!
Sleeping when I feel like sucking my thumb
Getting rocked to sleep till their feet feel numb
These are a few of my favorite things

When the songs stop
When my stomach growls
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

This seems like a business class seat !

2006-12-15T12:23:00.000+05:30

Picked up a stroller for Ria. She gives a broad smile everytime we place her in that. wonder how long the enthu will last :-)

In my favorite Sailors dress

2006-12-14T17:46:00.000+05:30

All in the family

2006-12-07T16:34:00.000+05:30

Matted

2006-12-07T16:30:00.000+05:30

Gaining momentum

2006-11-27T19:41:00.000+05:30

Looks like she has decided to start exploring things by herself. Of late, she has been trying to move forward albeit in vain. She turns around , lifts her butt, gets into a namaaz like position and tries to move forward. May the Almighty answer her prayers !

Sleeping pose

2006-11-27T19:24:00.000+05:30

This is the pose she gets into when she feels sleepy and sometimes when she feels hungry too. Its so funny to see her flailing her arms and legs in this fashion. It seems so uncomfortable but apparently its comfortable for her. Have not seen any other baby adopt such a posture till date !Of late, she does this and rolls around a few times and then she falls asleep all by herself. Very nice girl :-) No more rocking and singing lullaby etc.
She weighs 7.3 kgs now and has started eating mashed rice/potato/banana/chikku/ragi alongwith nestum/cerelac.