Time with you is literally flying...

..dear Pumki. You will turn a year old in a couple of months and I am still clueless where did the time go? I feel as if I missed it all. 

You were handed into our arms looking like an exact replica of your sister. In so many ways it was total recall being with you. If you could understand the spoken language you would go crazy at the number of times we exclaimed ' just like Vaibhu...' at your shenanigans. 

But then in so many ways you are so different. You are calmer. You are naughty in the quiet way. Daddy summed it all by saying Vaibhu is a cat and this is a puppy. That is how different you both are. Sometimes you seem like peas in a pod while at others you are like chalk and cheese. 

You interact so well. Since you were a mere two months old, you started making solid eye contact. You are not a fussy sleeper...in fact you love your sleep. You have slept through nappy changes, through an entire medical examination and one time where we changed mattresses. But when you are not happy, boy do you have a loud mouth. When you cry all hell can break lose till we give you exactly the stuff you want - a feed, sleep, or a cuddle. But then we have watched four movies with you already. You have been to India and back along with having bus rides to nearby towns, car rides, and a couple of train journeys. The greatest achievement has been the change of city. You were so accommodative through an entire change of location. It seemed daunting when visualised, but we did not take into account what a fuss-free child you were. It seems like a cake walk on hindsight where there was absolutely no trouble from you on the packing , travel and unpacking. 

The most enjoyable part of your daily bath. You just LOVE a bath. You start giggling and dancing and cooing when it's bath time. But being the understanding head that you are, there is no crying when bath time is over.

The thing that makes me happiest is your bond with Chiyaa. You cry when she leaves for school, get all excited when she is back, split into giggles when she plays and sneakily try to get her toys when she is not looking. She treats you as if she owns you and you are perfectly fine with it. She can bring a smile on your face anytime and you in hers. You divas are a team and I swell with joy seeing your bond. 

You will soon be walking, throwing tantrums, talking and growing up and becoming your own independent person. I love you lots and you give me such immense joy.....I am ever grateful sweetheart.

weSurvive VI

It's been over two months that we returned from India. Still I do not get the 'settled' feeling. Somethings just like that I get reminded of the time in India - the bottle Pumki uses, a Hindi song, a picture, Chiyaa playing Luv-Kush (she was hooked to that animated series back in India) with her toys. Or out of nowhere I picture the beach in Chennai or the air conditioned room in bbsr. It just hits with a pang. It seems like yesterday that with glowing sentimentality we bid goodbye to our family with promises to meet very soon...reality is so different from wishful thinking. 

The days are super hectic. We have the morning school run which compresses the time from wakeup to 0830. Once Chiyaa leaves I get on with cooking for the night and a light meal for my lunch. These are interspersed with feeding, bathing and playing with Pumki. There is generally a trip to the town centre on some errand or the other. 

Christmas is round the corner and the shops are getting decked up. The sale season is also upon us. Last year the same time around I was eagerly waiting for my mother to come. I was counting days to wind up woke and wait for the baby. I remember the days before Pumki when mummy and I used to drop Chiyaa at daycare and stroll around hand in hand. After the little one came, we used to get our daily dose of fresh air through the walks. Even the transition to Ipswich was cushioned by mummy's presence. Going around with her to familiarise myself with the town, made everything seem easy. Everything reminds me of her absence.

Since the last few days I have made it a point to meet K during lunch. It adds to some steps in my goal of 10,000 steps since my target weight loss is way off track :(( Work is a tad stressful for him and he gets rejuvenated being with the little angel for a bit. 

1430 starts the school pick up run. Earlier K was driving Chiyaa back. But twice he forgot!!! Imagine that! Moreover his work place does not have good cellular network which makes contacting him to remind him an unreliable option. So I volunteered to pick Chiyaa. It also gives her an additional 30 minutes of walk and outdoor activity, a chance to grab 2 fruits and we get to talk about what happened in school  :) 

It is a very scenic route and an absolute joy to walk (except when it rains and it rains often now that it's autumn) I also have to remain mindful of Pumki. The days she is not in a very good mood becomes a bit difficult.

Once back, after washing up, it's time for some snacks and my mandatory afternoon coffee. I so miss my mother and our conversations over coffee. I get the dinner sorted and once K is back I heave a sigh of relief. The days he is late as he will be today I grimace at the thought. I try  to finish as much of the house chores as possible. I keep preparing. I wish for that day to come and go soon. I don't know why. Its not that Chiyaa or Pumki are very uncooperative kids. Its maybe that I don't want to take a chance that they are in a foul mood and don't let me do my stuff. 

I don't know why, I feel as if I am living by the clock. My head just keeps track of the ticking time and I am hurrying around egg shells. Feel like a wound up spring. Is it just because of the school runs? Is it because of the looming uncertainty with regards to our work? If just school runs can give me this much heartache boy am I super unprepared for the world ahead. :|