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...