Yog
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One Afternoon
The afternoon clock said it was 2:30 p.m. The caller on the phone was desperate. My heart grew heavier as I listened in. Not again, not today. I just couldn’t manage to leave office today. I pacified the caller with an assurance that I would come home if the situation did not improve in the next ten minutes. I looked again at the clock in the corner of my laptop screen. It was not cooperating. It was just 2:31 p.m. There were 89 more excruciating minutes before Toyna would get home. I pushed my chair and got up from my seat. The document on the screen was no longer important. I…
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ORS
Yog used to love drinking milk. He used to so look forward to his night time routine which ended with a milk sipper and a warm blanket. Milk was also the first thing that he liked to have after he woke up in the morning. The ritual was so deep in our home that any deviation from it could cause pure havoc. Given this context, imagine my worry, when doctor forbade milk completely for Yog due to a very bad stomach infection. As night time approached I debated in my mind what substitute I could use in place of milk so that Yog didn’t throw a fit. Given his upset…
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Love you Mom
What is that about being a mother that brings out the worst behavior of your child in front of you!?!! This question has been bothering me for days now. My kids, behave very well with grandparents, school teachers and others, i.e. till the time I appear on scene. The minute they see me, all their bottled up emotions, spill over in one devastating flood. Whenever I pick up Yog from school, I try and observe him from a distance before he gets to know that I am around. He seems to be all happy and playful and not the least bit stressed out. But that is until he sees me.…
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The Kiss Goodbye
Time flies by so quickly. Just a few weeks back I was writing about Yogs first day at school. Today, I am writing about how both him and me reached another set of critical milestones in our journey. Yesterday, as I dropped him at school, I was expecting him to cry his heart out, seeing me leave. Till we reached the school gate, Yog was smiling happily, sitting proudly in any arms. In my mind, I was counting seconds and preparing for the outburst. Any moment now, he would start screaming at the injustice of having to separate from his one and only biological mother. We entered his classroom and…
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Day Four at School
Day 4 at school – Although 8 days have passed since Yog started school, he barely attended school for 3 days till now. By the end of the third day at school, he was down with a bad cold and had to miss school. Yesterday was the first night after 3 straight nights that he slept peacefully. Today he seemed fresh and shining in the morning, so I tentatively broached up the topic of school. I was quite sure, he would not want to go and would cling to me, at the mention of school. Mentally and physically prepared to handle this outburst, I gently took him in my…
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The Default Settings for Our Body
When Yog was small and didn’t know any of his sign language, it was often a challenge to make out what he was trying to communicate. Over time, experience taught me that there were only a limited number of things that could make an infant cry. These include – milk, when they are hungry; sleep, when they are tired; hug, when they need to feel loved; blanket, when they are cold; fan, when they are hot and lastly a change of diaper when the diaper is wet. So when an infant is crying, you normally check on all these things and address the one that needs attention. Surprisingly, few days back,…
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First Day at School
At one and a half years of age, Yog started his first school, today. Selecting a school for him was easier than I had expected. Before I started the hunt, I was apprehensive about the outcome; not so sure if I would be able to find the right place for his budding tastes and personality. The memory of Toyna crying all the way, to her first school and clinging to me with dear life, on the way back, seemed all too fresh. When I stepped out yesterday, searching for the right school, I didn’t have too many thoughts in mind. For preparation, I just had a list of 10 schools…
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Amma and Amuu
Yog said his words when he was 5 months old. These words were “Abbba” calling out to his dad. I waited a long time to hear him call me “Mama”. Then one day, few months back, he started saying “Amma”. Since that day, his whole vocabulary has consisted of pretty much one word only, “Amma”. When he sees his dad coming in, he rushes to him and says “Amma Da” ( “Mom come” in Telugu). When he wants to ask a question, he says “Amma ??” with a questioning tone, his eyebrows raised and his palms turned upwards in a question. When he is happy, he throws his head back, laughs…
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God Bless Home Project Managers
We have been working with a tough client for more than two years now. We have been abused, penalized and battered by this client for a long time. In spite of all the trauma, the team stuck on, determined to make it work. Today, as we went in for one of the few final sign off meetings with the client, we managed to delight him beyond his expectations. He was so happy, he invited us for lunch to show his appreciation for all our hard work. The drive back to office, was as expected, very very peaceful and happy. In my mind, I was glad it worked out…
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Mother Disorder
After more than an year of having shelved all my books, I really felt the need to read something today. The kids were in bed, the kitchen wrapped up and still some time at hand before my regular sleep time. It seemed like the perfect setting to indulge in some reading. I warmed a cup of milk and leisurely selected a book to read. Since both kids were sleeping in my room, I decided not to disturb them by switching on the light there. I gingerely closed their door, and walked into Toynas room to relax myself on her bed. The moment I switched on the light, I was greeted…