Special Correspondent

First of all, let me apologize to my dear readers (I assume you are out there) for the gap...
It's not that Kup has become uninspiring; quite in fact the opposite,but there is so much less time
to put it all down. I am trying my best at least to catch up with her through photos and videos,
promising myself to write the corresponding posts soon.
Meanwhile quite a lot has happened in the Kup household. Kup for one has made her grand entree
into the world of sounds. Nothing official, and nothing quite distinct for us to make out a word ,
but still that little bell-like voice has appeared, much cherished and is here to stay. I was hoping for
a ma-ma, SN of course has two contenders: da-da and pa-pa. But true to nature, Kup has beaten us
both and is insisting on ya-ya and ja-ja and an occassional french "r" which she gurgles perfectly. Hence
her compliments and complaints have become more vocal.
Okay okay stop right there..
This is Miss TJ aka Thankamma; you guys know me as Kupleri or rather Kup. Though it's kind of

diminutive, I like the name.It is smart and sweet. Like me.Though I am usually acting in the role of centre player, while my mom blogs about me, today I am making an exception. Even the above post has been sitting there for a while. Seems I have to rescue mummy's blog while it is still alive.
 So where do I start? I think mom has got everything till last month pretty much covered. Did she tell you she went for a movie without ME? Leaving me all
alone...Well, Papa was there of course, but still its the first time she has been
separated from me in almost 5 months. Which reminds me that I turn exactly
9 months old today. It does not count that papa and me had a fabulous time together that day.
 Check out this picture of us cooking together. Mom made the
mistake of clicking that picture and posting it on her fb page. Now all her
friends think papa is doing all the cooking at our place. Trust him to squeeze it for all it is worth...but then he never checks fb unless mom shows him something especially interesting. That movie she went to turned out
to be a block buster.So at least  her time was not wasted. I heard her telling papa it was about vampires.
Then he told her not to mention the subject around me again till I was much older (about 18??!!) Just wait
till I get to play groups. We' ll discuss things he never even hears about. At least mom has the sense to expect the worst from me...Wonder where she gets that suspicious streak from? I heard her tell papa how
as a child she almost got lost at the airport and appacha and ammachi had to bodily search the airline and airport..and there was the time Aunt Jo practised her spellings on the freshly wall papered living room...
And there was the time she told everyone her grandpa was not home when somebody important came home, causing everyone to think he was avoiding them.She had a hard time living that one down. I think I
heard somebody mention that incident even last year this time.
Not that papa dear was a complete angel...Only thing is he was so angelic looking that no one could stay mad at him for long. He was the kid who stuck buttons in his nose.And who tried to bury his school bag

in the coconut patch. Apparently being four times consecutive winner of best smile contest does help you getting out of trouble. Did I mention I have a killer smile? Check it out for yourselves. Now all I need is some teeth and I could model for toothpaste ads.
So I was updating you on last month. These days I almost exclusively ride on papa's shoulders. This way
I have a great view of what is going on around me. Unlike mom,he rarely puts me down and never scolds
me if I pull his hair. Mummy on the other hand never lets me pull her hair, though it is so much longer than
papa's. However she combs my hair every day and I have heard her mutter to herself she is planning to
tie it back soon. As if I would let her...
 Another complaint bout me is the fact that these days, I show less interest in store-bought toys. Instead I
prefer things like little cups, spoons and towels. And I  love to play with papa's Rubik's cube.Do you think
it will be too much of a shock for him if I solve it in one day? After all he keeps saying to always expect
the unexpected.
And yes, one more thing I was saving for last. Last day, when mom was showing ammachi our advents
kranz (xmas wreath)I decided to stand up just like that on my own. So when they turned back, there I
standing, looking proudly at my granny through skype. Since it was only forenoon, mom had to wait 8
entire hours before papa could see it for himself. But the downside to this is now I started standing up
the whole time. But my balance is not the best and because it is so cold here, they keep my little feet
wrapped up warmly.All of this causes me to topple over. But though this is normal, mom can't bear to

 see me fall and hence makes me wear 2 caps to cushion the fall. And I hate anything on my head unless
there is imminent danger of freezing.Especially not indoors. But that is one battle mom has no intention
of losing. So it's either wearing the gear or stay in my crib while she goes cooking in the kitchen. Now
that is something I absolutely cannot permit. I hate her be in the kitchen without me.
 Now I think this enough for this blog to tide over the situation. Meanwhile
xmas time has come and things are quite lively and colorful here. But that
requires a post to itself so i will leave it to mom when she comes out of
hibernation. See you people soon.Promise. Take care...

Joyeux Anniversaire Pour Moi

 So here goes; the previous week was a rather special one in the Kup household. It was the Kup mama's birthday ...a major event in itself. Also there was Halloween..which in itself did not become a major hit in the culinary department because a) Kup's papa not much into sweets

                                            b) Kup's mama trying to lose baby weight and birthday hangover

                                            c) Kup showing an unfortunate yet entirely predictable affinity for sweets

This should not come as a surprise since Kup's mama is a certified chocoholic to the point of madness.

Still like every mother she too hoped that Kup would not share her lesser qualities...Yeah, I can see the rolling eyes...so sue me..

 As for the birthday it was rather traumatic as there is a big zero involved..and I am yet to get used to the fact that this is the beginning of the end...I am getting old...I look in the mirror and though the person staring

back at me is the same as yesterday, now I notice things..those grey hairs were they there yesterday? And

God forbid; are those wrinkles? Do I feel pain in my joints? Don't I have difficulty seeing faraway things?
Who will be there to look after Kup when I am gone? I am reaching for pen and paper to write letters to
Kup. For her to open on each birthday after I am gone and to make her get her papa marry someone else..
 Wait! I forgot I already pledged to terminate anyone ever even thinking near the SN. He may be nerdy and
sleepy and forgetful but he is still MINE. And come to think of it, I am not ready to go so fast and let him live in peace. I have still years of nagging left in me. They say forties are the new twenties..which makes me a mere infant by comparison.
 But enough. I am digressing. My two babies are asleep simultaneously; an extremely rare occurrence during the daylight hours; and I must make the most of it. we have been to the prefecture to renew our visas and the long waiting hour had made my lil darling bored and irritable. But I must add, she was quite decent for half an hour. After that she registered her complaints rather loudly. The whole episode was really tiring
especially since we had to leave before her usual waking time. The SN also dozed off. Poor thing is probably depressed as he has to be away from his beloved lab for one more day.And for once dinner is also ready so I'm having a little free time all for myself.
 Coming back to the birthday celebrations...
It started the day before, when SN said he was going out to buy some baby food. As  I was on the phone with my mom, I didn't smell anything suspicious.I also didn't notice the time until almost 2 hours later when I
was playing with Kup. This is really something as the supermarche is just 5 minutes away.And true to nature SN's mobile was lying neatly on the table. It was already quite dark outside and I grew increasingly worried. So I bundled up my puzzled Kup without even bothering to put her in the carrier/pram and went to the supermarche. The supervisor is a long time friend of Kup's and he knows us by sight. I asked him whether he had seen my hubby to which he replied negatively.  I had no choice but to go out and was starting to panic. I might have felt a few tears coming up, but that may have been due to the cold..As I was standing outside; what do I see? A lone figure laden with bundles trudging along, wearing a sheepish smile.
Relief flooded me and then annoyance kicked in. I resisted the urge to mimic chedathi of the Boban & Molly
comics (a violent nagging shrew character who chases her husband with a chirava) but believe me, that is how I felt then. Especially when he innocently said that on birthday eve, such things are to be expected.

It is at moments like this we realise how dear are the things we have. But surprise ruined, I immediately went through the bundles(at home). I have never been able to wait very long for a gift already in my possession. First of all, there was a yummy Foret Noir cake ie, Black forest one that probably sent the calories sky-high.

Next was a lovely bottle of pink champagne...hmmmm not sure whose gift that was supposed to be..but 

hey no dissin the bubbly... Also some balloons to lighten up our humble abode..Can't have streamers around since Kup started crawling and grabbing actively. But The gift was last : a knee length black suede coat which I had tried on a couple of days ago but put back on the rack thinking it to be too expensive. I should've suspected his lack of protests then and there itself. And he went back and got it for me..Sigh..Did I say I am sighing? To our happiness Kup decided to zonk off by around 9pm but our joy was premature. She got up again at 11 and absolutel refused to go back to sleep. so we decided to have a little cake cutting at midnight. While setting the cake,candles and balloons; I could not help but remember    

the birthday functions we used to have in our college hostel. Those days seem so long ago..
 Kup certainly was wide awake and quite interested in the ongoings.She probably was wondering why her parents could not be like this whenever she decided to wake up at midnight.  Naturally I could not resist  a few clicks.

As you can see, she was really excited and distracted by the cake and wine.We try not to give her much sweet stuff but birthday hai na. She was quiet till she got her first taste of cake.You should've seen the expressions come over her face. Afterwards we had to hide the cake in the fridge and take turns eating it. It was as yummy as it looks. After the singing and wishing and eating , Kup got rather tired and slept off quite fast. As my cousin rightly said : "No more birthdays for you; your chances are over..now its your daughters turn to have chances.."Thus began my first bday as a mother. Well technically second one but last year was preggu year so it doesn't really count. The rest of the day went by usually. Cooking, net-surfing, house-keeping; not necessarily in that order and of course, running after Kup. SN came home early because of some maintenance work at is lab. He made ginger pork and it was delicious. Nov 1 st was Halloween holiday so again he had a holiday.This time I made chicken. I could not decide on Mughlai or Szechuan; so I made a mix of both. Looking back now, it seems a bit risque, but thankfully turned out well with plenty of nice gravy. Funny now that I started cooking on my own, I am desperate to prove I can actually make these funny named dishes.These same names I had made fun of just a few years prior.Thank God I have a husband with a very forgiving palate..Here's to me folks... 

Night-time Woes

 Lately Kup seems off color. She is getting more irritable and cries inconsolably at the drop of a hat.
The poor thing tries so hard to sleep and that too for hours..the cute night time routine which had her zonked in about 45 minutes now stretches to a murderous 3 -4 hours.. SN and I are at our wits ends..these days we
barely talk coherently..Trying to find the right words can be so difficult sometimes.And since he knows what I mean anyway, why bother?It s so nice when chemistry works that way.(sigh..)Do I sound mushy? I think it must be sleep deprivation..Being blessed with oodles of patience and goodwill, SN
is taking it much better than I. It also might be due to the fact he gets to be with Kup only at night.
 I think it might be because she is teething and the inflammation of her gums generally gets worse at night. SN comes home at around 8pm at which time, I and Kup go to meet him at the bus stop and walk back home..He loves carrying her , so I usually end up pushing the empty pram..But this has been stopped for a couple of days because of the early night falls and Kup's woes..By this time I would already have supper
ready and after a cuppa by about 8: 30pm, we'd start on baby bath time..
 This one is papa's speciality and she loves him make a song and dance routine with it. In fact you wouldn't
believe the number of funny songs he has come up so far..Sometimes it is quite hard for me to keep a straight face. Bath time is always fun. She tries to grab the shower head , so to distract her we keep a small
violet ball in the water which sometimes she keeps in her fist even after towelling.
 I have been trying to get her a rubber ducky that squeaks when squeezed but so far with no luck. I thought it was such a funny simple little thing. I have searched  in the toy sections of various supermarkets as well as in toy shops. The sales persons sometimes don't even understand what I want. I admit my French is not the best, but still it should not be this difficult..They either give me an assortment of 20 toys complete with a bath book(whatever that means) or some soft toy that is battery operated. Exasperated, I searched online only to find it is a collector's item; you can get a collection of 25 ducks for $16 on Amazon.Or you could order them custom-made. Even Queen Elizabeth is supposed to have one in her tub; one wearing a crown..Which makes me wonder about the amount of totally unnecessary information we are exposed to on the net daily.

But enough of that. I am digressing again.
  Meanwhile comes the argument about what to wear. This involves checking the forecast for night temperature, the availability of
various pieces of clothing which at that very moment decide to go into hiding,..By the time Kup's clothes are on the correct parts of her anatomy, the room resembles the Battlefield of Helms Deep(Lord Of The Rings)
 Next comes the feeding. Till about a week ago, Kup loved to eat and would finish whatever was spooned into her mouth. But these days Kup takes any attempt to feed her as a personal insult.She used to love fruits
a lot but now when it comes near her she just tries to get away..it seems the 23 paternal chromosomes are finally winning the battle..Not that there was much chance for the maternal ones in the first place. On top of it, she has episodes of spit-up ; again something new. At least she is getting some of her nutrition as I am still nursing her.Though this is not enough for her, some days she wont have anything else. Time trickles by like molasses and dinner is waiting
on the stove. To quote Salimkumar in 'Kalyanaraman' "Enthinovendi thilakkunna sambar..."
 For some time, we tried the Baby Einstein videos and various lullabies on YouTube..Previously they had
worked like a charm, but lately all they do is make both of us more sleepy while Kup is actually getting more active..We tried rocking and walking her around, again no go..Altering the time schedule didn't help either..
Breastfeeding at regular intervals was our only hope..Each time hoping this would do the trick..In spite of my
b...s feeling like they are about to come off, it still continues like this. The funny part is that her day time naps haven't
changed at all. By about eleven thirty or later, she finally drops off. By this time,we either forget about dinner
Sometimes we sneak off one at a time to gobble the food. Once asleep also, she wakes up more than once
to nurse, and sometimes has difficulty going back to sleep. By around 5: 30; she usually ends up between us.
But she magically senses when I get up to go into the kitchen and starts crying immediately.. So by the time she looks something like this : we look something like this :

 That black thing she's clutching used to be a jacket of mine.We kept it in her bed for her to cuddle but now she seems not to like it any more...occasional drops of Pmol help to some extent..Sunday she fell asleep at nine o clock..Congratulating ourselves on our luck, we immediately sat down for dinner and poured a glass of wine for afterwards. The first decision turned out to be good, the second one not so. By the time we finished our meal, Kup woke up and started crying. I fed her, thinking she would go back to sleep.We were planning to catch some movie.Well, to make a very long story short...the movie still in the box, at 12 :30
since we could not pour the wine back into the bottle, we gulped it down, at one o clock, I told SN to sleep since he had to work on Monday, till 1 :30 am, I sat with Kup in my lap looking at parenting sites
learning nothing new..At around 2 o clock she slept.. Morning 7: 30 she was fresh again...while we stumbled around trying to follow our routine.
 We did console ourselves by thinking about our friends who recently had twins...By the time they reach 7 months..well I am not finishing that thought...Bonne Nuit Amigos..those lucky amongst you, enjoy your sleep
while you can...

Ummmmmmmah

 No, this is not exactly the post I was intending to write. What can I say! I am the queen of unfinished posts.
But something happened yesterday that made me want to post about it immediately but was not able to do
so.Well here I am now. Despite the build up, it is nothing humongous but rather sweet and cute. If you have
not guessed it from the title, yes it is about a kiss..My very first..baby kiss.(What did you think I was going to write?) After all beti ki ma hum so... err..never mind..
 After months of being at the receiving end of kisses, hugs and every other external expressions of affection
showered upon her little self, yesterday my darling little baby girl reciprocated. Kup kissed me. But being rather dim at times, I didn't realise she had. Probably understanding her mum's slow response, she repeated the gesture..That 's when my brain lighted up.
 She always puts her arms around the neck whenever I or her papa pick her up. She'd squeeze too once
 in a while but I always thought it was to get a good grip on me. Especially since this often happens when I am a few minutes late in picking her up, like if I am cooking or in the bathroom. Then if I pick her up, she puts her arms and legs tightly around me as if afraid to let go. I just never thought about it as much.With SN she never does this, probably because of scratchy cheeks. His nieces also complain about the 'mullu" ie thorns in Malayalam. I'm probably the only advocate of the two days-growth which I think is really cool even for a nerdy geek..However his parents thinks he looks like a homeless delinquent instead of a respectable bacha ka baap. But coming back to Kup, I've seen her holding on to his shoulders or his collars; whichever is available when he's holding her. She also loves to bite our noses but here papa is the clear favorite. Probably because there is so much more of his nose in the first place. Since she is teething, she bites down quite hard at times.
 We had got off on a pretty normal start to our day..getting up, changing, diapering, the routine. After the
mid-morning nap, we were video-chatting with my parents and my sis(Kup"s Auntie Jo) who is home for
a change.. After some crawling and playing around from two sides of the globe, I began to feed her lunch.
After the doc's recommendation, once a day I give her baby food. Though I would've preferred avoiding the commercial stuff as far as possible, the fact remains that Kup is a bit underweight. I prefer the brand called Bleding. They have their products labelled for each month and most of them are complete meals. Kup used to love their spinach, but now we've moved onto the combo meals. The feeding was going on well with Jo,
Appacha and Ammachi acting as cheerleaders. I was having her on my lap and she finished it quickly enough. After cleaning the remains, we were in the same position, when without warning, she reached up
and nuzzled my cheek, holding my right cheek with her other hand. It was over fast and her audience of three witnessed it too. In fact they told me it was meant as a kiss. And then she did it again. This time I could
really appreciate it too.
 It made me feel quite warm inside. Of course I know my baby loves me and needs me and all that stuff. But

it is so special to have the little one express it herself..For all I know she might have been wiping her mouth.  

Still I like to think of it as my first baby kiss. My Kupkiss. I wish I'd been able to take a picture. As it is, this one will have to do. It took quite some time to wipe the idiotic grin off my face. Next time must get her to do it while he is there.

Speaking of SN, he tried to act all non chalant while I excitedly told him of this.( Will I never learn?) But

later that night, I got immense satisfaction hearing him ask Kup to give papa a kiss as well since mama

already had got one. So much for non-chalance he he. So on this note let me end this learned discourse.

Good-night folks.

Kup's Anatomy

  We had a great weekend..First of all there was Kup's doctor visit. Her first one since coming to France.
Visits in India were to the hospital where I had worked (and lived) previously. Since the day she was
born, she's been a big star there (thank you, ma'am and sir). I am one of the blessed few, who are lucky to have their own teacher conduct their delivery..She was the one who taught me to conduct a labour in the
first place.
  Kup's vaccinations were all up to date so far but she had not taken the pneumococcus vaccine, since it is
not mandatory in India. However, it is compulsory in Europe, so I was a bit apprehensive. Also Kup has
recently started showing signs of separation anxiety. Previously she used to smile widely at any given stranger, thus gathering a large fan -following among the little old ladies in our neighbourhood. This is
probably the reason no one has complained so far when Kup has one of her 5 o clock tantrums when
I start cooking. I'm digressing again. Sorry.
  It's pretty cold here these days, so we bundled up and headed outside.We had got appointment for
12:45, hence we started at 12. Little miss had to be roused from sleep and was a little less than happy
about it. But she brightened up once we were outdoors. She loves riding in her pram and watching things
go by, especially cars and bikes. As always, I had packed some food, water and  a spare changing kit for her. As usual the papa had forgotten to recharge the bus ticket, so we had to walk the extra distance
 instead of comfortably waiting on our doorstep..Well, I guess we both need the exercise..One thing I

love about France is that coz of Google Maps, we can exactly find the right place without asking anybody, something which is definitely not possible where I come from.And since we still have problems

with the language,this is a great relief.
  We were ushered in by the doctor herself, another scenario unthinkable in India; but then, in India the patient load would hardly enable us to do so. But still, it was a nice touch,don't you think so? The doc
herself was a tall elegant lady with short light blonde hair, rimless glasses, cool watch and 2 funky
bracelets with french manicured nails..No, I dont take in details ;thank you very much. But she was
 really friendly and down to earth. Come to think of it, she is probably the first doctor in a long time
whom I didn't personally know before ..
  The super spacious office..huge window, nice view, large desk with 2 phones, scanner, thin screen computer, fax machine, 3 credit card scanning thingies,(what are they called anyway?)
Yeah, I too could get used to this. Shot a dirty look at SN to show him what all I am giving up for his
 and Kup's sake. Though I am not entirely sure he got the message. It does not matter.
I keep reminding him every few days anyway. There are no paper or files or books. Everything is diectly entered into the system..Hmm need to brush up on my typing skills. The SN said that I was a doctor and
himself a scientist. I think she was relieved not to have to deal with complete dorks who don't even
 know the language in the first place. Jus kiddin; she was really professional.. Asked me what
I specialised and if I'm working here.
 About Kup.Since it was pretty cold, we had swathed her in several layers. After removing all those,
our poor little mouse looked so tin and fragile. Took her length(67..cm) While examining,she was
pretty quiet but when the doc tried to put a spatula in her mouth, Kup grabbed it right out of her hand.
and put it into her other little fist ie, hand to hand transfer...7 months baby stuff she's been doing
 this since about 2 months ago.. So far she has not sat up but she crawls around. We were never worried about this and never tried to make her sit up on her own. She does love to sit in our lap especially if we are

using the laptop. So it was a surprise when the doctor made her sit, she actually did sit on her own for a few seconds..Her muscle tone is all right. I could have told her that, judging from the way she tries to crush my neck when we hug or she clamps her gums on her daddy's nose.
  But the poor thing turned out to be a kilo underweight..I had been suspecting this but not so much. Doc reassured us and said it was because of the big journey and climate change. We give her 3 meals a day cereal/rice /crushed rusk mixed with either apple/banana /pearsor potato/spinach. Along with multiple nursings, this would be enough except for proteins. So we are to start her on chicken, ham etc. No complaints there,I am sure. If she understood, she'd have hugged the doctor. As it is, I'm sure I heard a tiny laddu popping in her mind.
  She kept playing with the spatula during the whole of the visit. I had expected her to have pooped as I removed the diaper but it didn't happen. Instead as we put her on the weighing machine, she peed all over it..Well, at least not on the doctor's dress(which could have been used in an ad for ujala.. ) Anyway the mess was cleaned up..Doc told us she had 4 boys herself,so was very much used to this. SN struggled to put Kup back into her cocoon (let him sweat it out)At the end he was carrying one shoe and the tiny scarf separate.
Meanwhile doc prescribed some vit D drops which are necessary for the coming winter months where
sunlight is a spare commodity. 4 drops a day. I knew there was some connection with ujala -char bundo
wallah.
 Kup was still holding the spatula tight. In the end, doc exchanged it for a lovely red, silicone teething ring
from Nestle. Vanilla-flavoured too, no less. She loved it and was a perfect little lady..Vaccination was due
only next visit(Phew). The whole episode took about half an hour and we left as 3 happy people.

 Ichayan happy about the professionalism and efficiency(yawn); Me fantasising about a future career in likewise surroundings(dream on) And tiny tot happy about the whole outing(little pleasures-sigh) quickly resumed her trip to zzzzzzzland..sweet dreams ummmmmmmmma

Kup's Choroonu

  Last day was an important day in Kupdom. The Queen Mom decided it was high time, her little one was
formally initiated into the finer aspects of gastronomic delicacies. Simply put, they started her on solid foods.
But since nothing is quite 'simple' with Kup's mom, she had to have a traditional function for it.It didn't matter that there were only 3 of them and they were not required by faith to do ...The SN agreed readily probably because it gave him an excuse to finally open the long awaited bottle of Laurent Perrier(hey,we live in Champagne-Ardenne after all). Now over to the Kup Mom for an insider's view on the whole affair; read
a whole long rant.
  It was fun to actually look up the dates for an auspicious day for the ceremony. Being Christians ,we have never bothered about the so-called auspicious timing for any joyful event but since this was the first time i actually planned something like this on my own,i just wanted to be sure.What can I say I'm a little bit silly when it comes to Kup. "Why displease some hitherto unknown higher power?", I told my husband's raised
eyebrows.

  Apparently the even months are good for girls; whereas for boys odd month is better,also seven is considered unlucky..anyway we, ok ok I decided to have it on Sunday afternoon. Also we were not able to celebrate Onam,, the harvest festival of our native state, Kerala which was the previous week. Traditionally 

the feast or Sadya, as we call it, is vegetarian, but to humour SN, I added non-veg  items also. I made the

kottayam fish curry, thrissur pork curry, SN's spinach curry and thoran so it was a meal balanced between our 2 native places.Believe me,though only 140 km apart, the cuisines are on either end of the spectrum. But more about that in another post. SN made the parippukari, apparently from some secret recipe(sigh).

 The star of the day was to be given rice in 2 ways: one mixed with milk and sugar, the other with butter

and salt. We decorated with balloons,streamers(he) and candles(me).



foodings



  No festivities without traditional costumes..After much persuasion SN changed into mundu and jubba.(I was holding his precious bottle hostage).I didnt bring the stuff all the way from home for nothing.Next came

the most dreaded task: getting the little madam to wear the kasavumundu. It consists of a single piece of cloth, folded into layers and worn as wrap-around. Hence Kup didnt think it fit into the category of clothes and started to play with it..also me and her dad had various loose ends dangling around, just waiting for her to pull loose.


papa's darling

   An hour,a lot of struggling,wiggling and squiggling later,somehow we managed to get her still. The proud papa held her on his lap(trailing mundu and all) ,recited a short prayer and fed her a little morsel  from each plate.Yours truly was resigned to post of videographer.
Needless to say, the sweet one was preferred over the salty one..
After the first mouthful, we got a nice surprise: the in-laws called up and they were able to view everything over skype.So much for live
telecasting. As for my parents who are still coming up with excuses
for not repairing or replacing the system at home(double-sigh), they
were getting the live feed-backs via phone since morning. That covers
the radio aspect. Kup was generally on model behaviour. She loved playing with the balloons but got the shock of her life when they burst. An hour later Kup had enough of the play-up. Her basic


fingerchen

attitude towards traditional attire can be seen here:

This is how it looked like at the end of the day:
By this time SN and I were exhausted.. Hungrily we devoured the
food which was very good ,even if I say so myself. After a much deserved rest
(in our regular clothes) we felt released from the zombie state..(partially thanks to dear LP)

Therefore I am including his picture too. One funny thing was that we realised we had no matches or
lighters,as we were about to light the candles(yummy scented ones too).In India no decent household being without them..Since it was Sunday, all shops were closed. So we had to to with unlightened ones..Thank God it wasn't her birthday!
  On choroonu day a baby is offered a pen, some gold, some sweets and a  tiny clay pot in a tray. According to which thing baby reaches for, his future area of interest will be determined. Pen stands for
education, gold for wealth, sweets for foodie and clay pot for property. Just for fun, we too gave it a try.
Since we din't have a clay pot,we substituted it with one of those yet unlightened candles.This was the result:





 
                    Attagirl, you seem to be a true-blood malayalee after all..
We had a lot of fun that day. I am really thankful to my Ichayan /SN that he gave me full reins probably
against his better judgement, though he is not exactly the party kind of guy. Since he is unlikely to read this post, I am dedicating it to him.  Here's to you sweetheart.........

Globe-trotting Kup

 Yesterday I heard x was travelling from B'lore to Cochin with her kids which reminded me of my own trip

from COK to Paris.The whole adventure of travel was kinda hectic but on the whole pretty tame, now that I look back..my lil angel was very decent most of the time.
 It all started when I suggested travelling alone with Kup from India to join SN who had left just 3 months back..(this way I can blackmail him for the saved ticket money)Also this would convince my 2 sets of relatives that I have finally grown up..Getting married, having a stable job and having a baby somehow doesn't do the trick. Anyway  tickets were booked, cancelled (thank AI) rebooked; luggage packed, 101 advices duly heard etc etc.Since most of my stuff was in France itself I packed mostly baby stuff in our big suitcase,including my laptop which I saw off with my heart somewhere in my stomach region.And suddenly luck of luck..got to know my cousin A was flying out to the US on the same night, though not on the same flight.
  Princess Kup being a seasoned traveller was showing no signs of worry.after all less than a year back;I'd flown with her from Korea via China to India and later on to France. I had just started her on solid foods.
Actually what happened was that one day she saw me eating mangoes and started crying till I cottoned on
that she wanted some too..
 The 3 hour trip to Nedumbasseri went uneventfulas she slept in my mom's arms..car travel has never been a problem for her.We met my cuz with her entourage.After exchanging tearful goodbyes, the three of us went inside. I was getting enough stares already coz of my attire and the baby carrier. We were a bit early and since Kup seemed rather quiet, I gave her to my cousin while I went to the loo. Little was I to know it was the calm before the storm hit. 

  There was supposed to be a special queue for disabled people and single moms with kids and the person there; not only had an irritating cold, he also took more than half extra time to let us through..regular queue was much faster.I could see A grinning at me..Kup chose exactly that moment to wake up and start sniffling...progressed to crying in bouts..ending in full fledged screaming..which even my parents on the other side of the gate could hear..We somehow got through security, I had to take her out of the carrier and hand her to the sweet lady at security. Once reaching the lounge I was bone tired. Kup was still crying and people looking at me as if keeping her in the carrier was the cause of this commotion. But at least there was a a nursing room(at the other end of the hall) Even after feeding, she did not quieten down as her sleep was disturbed.

I tried rocking her..no way she just wanted to get out of the carrier..(Being QA it was more like getting on KSRTC bus to go to market)everybody wearing sari n purdah, I even spotted an appappan wearing mundu. And everybody travelling at least 5 persons together.. could not have managed w/o d carrier..Once on the flight, they fixed me a bassinet and she she slept on and off till Doha. Had a bit of ear problem during touch down. I had kept antihistamine handy so it was ok.

 At Doha airport I had to search 2 ENTIRE FLOORS  carrying her and my bag for a bathroom with baby changing rooms..!!!Gawd! In Delhi they have that  BASIC facility every 50 metres apart..Mera Bharat is mahaan after all. I met a similarly suffering mother in the changing room who had to fly on to Texas, though her husband was with her.

 Once changed and fed, Kup was back to diva mode. By the time we had to board,she had charmed all the nearby crowd, ranging from French, Chinese, Indonesia..and no one could speak English. During boarding it was 102degree hot n all the kids started screaming their heads off. All of us adults were trying various methods to calm down their offspring; to no avail. And not to boast, but I was the first parent to understand that heat was the problem..so I peeled off all her clothes except diaper and started  fanning her ...And all the others rapidly followed my example..Once we took off, she again fell asleep,this time for real..So I had proper food and freshened up..I hadn't slept the previous night, so I slept well.. had time to lavishly make food and feed her (air hostess was really sweet) and watch the other older babies and toddlers drive their parents crazy.. Other people too were praising the little princess and I was basking in the reflected glory (hey! after all it's me who is raising her, though hubby later claimed it from his share of the genes) and she's such a brave little flier...and her first flight too.' I guess it was just plain dumb luck or my mother's prayers.

 Things were blissful till one French mother asked me "Oh! Your baby is whiter than my baby; is your husband a Frenchman??!!!'  Though I was hatching murderous plans in my head, I must have given her some appropriate reply, since she was quite friendly even after that. Somehow we we made  it to Paris.there our luggage was delayed...but thank god only half  hour..

Then we finally met the ICHAYAN and i really had butterflies in my stomach on seeing my love (yeah I plead guilty of being hopelessly romantic sometimes) At last I was able to unload my precious little burden..she took quite naturally to him (of course how could it be otherwise..)and since she is getting up now, I draw the curtains on this lovely reunion scene....good night

The Case of the Lost Marbles.

     Kup is sleeping deeply(halleluja) for once, so instead of using that time for some much needed
 house work like any sane person would do, I started working on my blog..Dont ask me why,
 but after some time I felt this urge to check whether she is just sleeping or something
 worse( ok I know you are rolling your eyes...)I called her by name..various names actually..
made some noises..to no avail..and this from the girl whose sleep has actually been
 disturbed by sounds like clothes falling down or cupboards opening..Next I tried
 tapping her little back..still Kup in zzzzland...
   Now fear struck me...I put my (cold) fingers to her forehead...under her nose..
It's funny no, tat if I'm on duty at the clinic, several protocols will effortlessly come to my
 mind while at home, the first thing my mind comes up with is a big blank..I probably look like the
Ichayan lost in the cosmetic section of the supermarket..or the sweets section, come to think of it..
Now if it were the food section instead, especially the non-veg section, things will be entirely different.
He snaps out of his semi-trance, and we actually discuss if; or what; to buy or not. Interest starts
waning in the vegetable section and by the time we reach the fruits section, he is back to his
usual state. But enough of this,  I am digressing from the main plot....
 Still my baby is sleeping..I put my fingers in her mouth..that finally woke her up...Her sleep
being disturbed, she started wailing true to nature and would not lie down for more than an hour..
How else to register her protest against her mom, who not only is over protective; but also has entirely too much time on her hand!? I can just see my dad scolding me for making his precious grand daughter cry.
I have in fact even been accused of with holding milk to Kup ( I'm nursing her!) Quite apart from the
fact that logic has never been a strong point in my family, my parents tend to act a bit silly when it
comes to their grandchildren.
 So plans for an elaborate dinner and some quality time had to be cancelled...the Ichayan
is stuck with spinach once again (not that he's complaining ; he loves that stuff). It occurs to me
that I still havent come up with a name for my better half in this blog..J sounds too common..Ichayan
 is too long and shortening it to 'Ich'..Well I know he is tolerant and unlikely to read this blog, but still..
I suppose I could call him the Nerd or the Scientist or the Nerdic Scientist or the Scientific Nerd..
SN sounds good I think..So with this herculean task managed, I'm officially off (how does that sound?)
 It takes about one hour of soothing, feeding, singing, dancing; she finally calms down and I am one short step away from the loony bin. After giving me the heart-melting toothless smile I love so much,
Kup is lookin at me as if asking if I've lost my marbles...Am I embarrassing even to my 6
month old daughter? And she has not started socialising yet...
 The mummies and the babies are the happies..

The Era Of Kup

   Once upon a time, in a faraway land a little girl was born...From the moment she arrived,
 she started conquering the hearts of those who beheld her..Ruthlessly, she ruled over
 her humble subjects..Her astonished and delighted parents recovered enough to
 close their gaping mouths and congatulate themselves on this miracle they had created..
 Her fame reached far and wide. She was called many names by fond relatives (how many
 names did Arjuna have anyway) However a few names stuck more than others...Like for
 some reason, one fine sunny day her Aunt Thodil took it into her head to call her beloved
 (only) niece Kupleri..In spite of the frantic attempts on the part of the baby's mother, the name
 stuck. To add insult to injury, the name was shortened to a mere 'Kup'. Thus began
 The Era Of Kup.
    Not to be left behind on the path of innate creativity, Kup's mother came up with some plans
 of her own. It occurred to her that the daily activities of her daughter's busy life warranted
 a chronicle..And since this being the digital era, what better way than to start her very own blog?!
 One that would record the tidings of Princess Kup and her kingdom. It would offer a peephole
 view into a world of quirky,yet loving group of people both before and after Kup 's birth. After all,
 no self-respecting Indian movie, serial, book (or blog for that matter) would be without at least
 one of the main characters having some sort of flash-back; usually shown in black-and-white.
    Kup herself, after being asked many times kindly deigned to feature as guest writer from time
 to time..The post of court scribe was assigned to her mother, who apart from being on-hand
 most of the time and being a non-working professional would be having plenty of time for the
 actual recording (yeah ,right!)...
   Oh! and not to neglect a most important character, the 1st citizen in the World of Kup,
 her producer, ie the proud papa himself..(technically speaking; not having reached 18 years

 Kup  is not a proper citizen yet.) Once upon a time he used to be a simple, peace-loving

 inhabitant of the biosphere; happily doing whatever it is he is doing in that laboratory
 of his, when one day someone up there got jealous..Poor man found himself married to Kup's mom
 aka the Dr. who put a definite stop to his peaceful existance. Over were the days of
 working non-stop 24/7;  sleeping away the weekends, eating out of pots..ok ok
 this post is not about him..Suddenly he was required to come home regularly, give coherent
 replies to basic questions, not to mention put up with well-meant queries and worries of his
 in-laws; thereby effectively putting an end to blissful solitude...However he bravely puts up with the
 ups an downs of fatherhood..and there should be a word like 'husbandhood'.
  So these are the main players; the supporting characters will appear and disapear as per their roles;
 stage is set; ladies and gentlemen :

                                                  Welcome to The World Of Kup!!