To Speak..Or not to Speak!

Before we came to India in July09 Elisha's vocabulary was really sparse. Maybe 20-30 words or so. There was definitely a lot of gibberish though. My friend however did assure me that once she comes to India and starts interacting with family, her vocabulary would increase. I had my doubts, but hell i am proved wrong.

When we came down, i saw my neices and nephews talking like adults. 2 and 3 year olds were speaking sentances and that too in English as well as Malayalam, our mother tongue. Ofcourse the stimulation these kids got was totally amazing. They have parents, grandparents, friends, family all around them. The question i received all the time was, why doesnt Elisha speak..is she fine..and what not..Trying to explain to them that all elisha interacts with is Praveen and me...and honestly how much do you expect us to talk to her?

Anyways back to the trail of thought...

Last night i was pleasantly surprised with how much elisha has picked up in less than 2 months. It is simply mind boggling. Her vocabulary has increased 10 times. she now speaks English and Malayalam. Ofcourse we really pray and hope that she continues to learn and speak in Malayalam as she keeps growing.

Just before we slept last night, she said her goodnights to her grandparents and then went to her Wiggle CD and proceeded to say bye and goodnight to each and every character..by name..i didnt realise she knew them..then asked me why we werent saying the rosary..again stunned..

While laying in bed, she asked me where her father was, and proceeded to say out loud, Achachan [thats wat she calls praveen], I love you, I miss you and a big kiss...I got one of those...and baby isaac got one too...

Then it was the litany of bye's and goodnights to allllllllllll family...whoever she knew by name she said...1 hour later...she decided to stop speaking and sleep..

Ofcourse i am overly excited that Elisha is speaking soooo well..and that she is learning by the day...but its at times like last night when i wished my baby didnt speak that much..coz i'd rather sleep as soon i get to bed, than wait for her to keeep talkin for an hour..

i am hoping to post a lot more ramblings from elishas mouth.. :) see you soon...

and in elisha's words

chee you choon
i lull u [i love u]
i mishh you
goonite
ummmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaa

Isaac rolling over...

Long time no see..

Its been long..but can u tell we have been busy and have had our hands full? :)

theres just been sooo much happening that i really dont know where to start from..

Pacifier Free.
Elisha no longer has her pacifier..Well lets put it this way, we lost the pacifier at daycare, couldnt find the 100's of others we have at home, and went cold turkey. Elisha did fine for a couple of days and then it dawned on her that she is missing her pacifier. So now we have a very whiney child who gets up a few times at night because she misses her pacifier. groan..mebbe we shouldnt have taken it off her, when both the parents are sleep deprived and easily irritatable..but we dare not go back..sigh

Week of Sickies.
aaaaaaaaaa..yes thats me screaming..Last week Praveen, Elisha and Isaac we all sick..Together..Praveens had this persistant cough for the last 6mths..and it got worse..he took a puffer and the side effect was loss of voice and skin loss in mouth..he got another puffer and it worked welll..and the antibiotics seemed to be working..
Elisha was coughing soo bad..we had a lot of phlegm and some vomit stories..antibiotics and she was fine..now its just runny nose..damn
Isaac poor guy has stuffy nose...he sneezes and phlegm comes out...
one night, Isaac throws up all over me..i change and shower [this is at midnight]..elisha wakes up coughing and throws up all over her bed...change her change the sheets and then pick isaac and he throws up again..sigh..

Wiggles Addiction
There was a time when elisha wouldnt watch tv or cartoons for more than 2minutes..however that is not true anymore...Elisha has discovered the world of Wigguuuu..she is addicted..so much so that she has withdrawal symptoms when the damn thing ends or we switch it off...infact she knows that in the evening once praveens done with working, she can watch it on the computer..she sleeps Wiggu..Drams wiggu and i swear she is eating wiggu too...

Theres so much more happening..but i can barely remember..

Isaacs growin really well and he is a good baby..Elisha is full of love for him...oh and there are loads of Elisha and Isaac stories..but now its dinner time and elisha is begging me to feed her...till next time

Pictures

Here is the link to all the picts...i am guessing Praveen keeps updating it too..

Isaac's Pictures

We had our babyyyyyyyyyy...

Yes yes yes...we finally had this baby :)

after nearly 40 hours of gruesome labour and an emergency Csection, Isaac Mooleplackal Tomy was born on 16th May 2009 at 9.04am.

He weighs 3.52kgs [7.7pounds] and is 52 cms [20.8 inches] tall.

We are both doing fine and i must say Elisha is a great big sister..

gotta go...

Waiting...is soo not fun!!!

I am there...pretty much there...I am due on 14th...less than 5 days...have been having contractions for nearly 1.5 days now...nothing major or nothing to get overly excited about...but its there...last couple of hours its been down to 12-10mins...and i can feel it in my cervix...but its not painful..like i can breathe through it...though talkin is not happenin..

i know this baby will be out soon...and the last few hours are the worst..but common child...we want to see u and just cuddle u...and give mum a break please...come outtttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!

heres hoping for a mothers day baby :)

We are Back!!

We are back from a wonderful holiday..Well we got back 1.5weeks ago..but i finally got sometime to sit and write..i am going to try and summarise as much as i can!!!

3 weeks of holiday was indeed awesome...firstly it was all with Family..which was the best bit..it was relaxed..being 33 weeks pregnant ensured that the holiday would be relaxed..and there were more than enough people to look after Elisha :) the best part!!

First leg of the journey was Washington [Virginia actually]..We stayed with Praveens Sister n family..and it was fun, except for the damn jet lag that Elisha had..not fun..by the time she got over the jet lag it was time for us to move to our 2nd destination..Our stay with SIL n fly was great..Kids had a blast with each other..loads of shopping :) [always the best bit] and quality time spent with each other..i somehow managed to burn the back of my tongue and throat..so i just couldn't eat all the scrumptous food..damn you half n half [yes i am allergic to the damn thing]...From there we also visited my Mums brother n family...can u believe that i haven't seen some of them for nearly 20 years!!! yes long long time!

From there we went to New Jersey..at the airport i met Lindsay and Gabe :)...Lindsay is a very dear friend who i met online through babycenter..we have been talking and chatting ever since i was pregnant with Elisha..part of the July baby club..and we are still in touch :) it was great meeting up with her n her handsome son..awesome experience..from there we went to my cousins..and just chilled..next day went to see the statue of liberty..whats the big hype people? its soooo freaking cold that we were practically running through the ground...it was great again to spend time with family :)

New jersey to NewYork..wooohooo..This was the place i was dying to visit..raised in Bombay, i have always heard that Bombay is mini new york..and honestly i miss Bombay sooo much that i just wanted to be somewhere that resembles my home :)...and new york did not let me down one bit!! the place is buzzzzing with energy and Time Square-i am in love with you :) I enjoyed the subway, the place, the ambience everything..only thing i didn't like was waiting for 2-3 hours in the frickin line to go up Empire state building...SERIOUSLY!!!!! and after all the climb i was dead too enjoy the view...so we spent all of 10seconds on top..nice eh..Again we stayed with my cousin..and it was a blast..i got to cuddle my newborn nephew :)

Next trip was Chicago..ever since we heard that Praveens sales conference was in April, we knew we had to attend Praveens good friends wedding reception..we did not see anything in Chicago..just had a great time with friends..the reception was gooooood fun..good food and good music..apparently the booze was good too..mmm i did not get to taste it...that was not fun :( next day we also managed to catch some snowfall..i think that was the highlight of praveens trip..ever since he got to USA he has been dying to see snow..thank god we did..else all i would have heard for a long time would be how he did not get a chance to see snow!!!

Chicago to New Orleans!!!!...in one word...FANTASTIC!!!!..we stayed with praveens cousin..and it was great..highlight of this trip was Elisha got over her fear of dogs :) so much so that each time she sees a dog now she wants to run n pat it..well she did go and almost cuddle the security dog at the airport..haha..the food in New Orleans is simply mouthwatering..of course everything is fried..I enjoyed coffee and some french doughnuts [beignet] at Cafe Du Monde..yummy..and the place has some amazing feel to it..the history..the culture..the music..everything..seeing some of the damages of Katrina truly left us all speechless...what the locals must have gone through is simply unbelievable..

and then our final stop San Fransisco..Praveen went to attend his conference and i stayed with my cousin..it was like good old time...just talking and catching up...in SFO too i met up with another motherboard mommy friend..Becca and her son Clark..in fact her husband Jeff came too..it was soooooooooooo nice to meet them..and thank god Jeff was around..coz honestly he was a saviour when it came to helping us with the kids...

I have missed out a lot of things we did...but this is a basic gist...the highlights of this entire trip was Family, Friends, Shopping, Eating and of course just lazing around..

And now that we are back home, its back to reality..in less than 2 weeks our 2nd bundle of joy will join us...and we are eagerly awaiting the new journey that is lying in front of us..

The hair cut...that just wasnt meant to be!!!

Elisha always had straight hair..well till i decided to cut her hair a couple of months ago and then it started curling...it was soooooo cuteeeee...i loveee girls with curls...it makes them look a lot more cuter and naughtier!!!

We r going on our vacation tmrw, to USA..meeting family and friends...and Praveen says that Elisha sure could use a trim..i agree...her hair was at this stage where its neither long nor short...

I tell him we can take her to a Salon where they can do a good job..he insists that he has not patience to wait or take an appointment for a hair cut..erm fine...we take her to the place where tomy gets his hair cut...he tells me in his defence that a lot of girls come and cut their hair there...ok...fine lets gooo

the man starts to cut...atfirst it looks awesome..its the perfect length and sooo much neater..though i could see her curls were going...oh well it looks neat...n then he proceeds to just start snapping at this lightening speed...and in 5 seconds Elisha is left with 1-2inch hair...i just didnt know how to react or what to do...

didnt say a word till we got into the car...and then made sure Praveen knew i wasnt happy at all...got back home and when i saw her properly..i just burst into tears...i just couldnt take it...i am sure its all this pregnancy hormones...i am the last person to cry over matters like this..but my beautiful girl has no curls in her hair...she looks like a little boy..she still looks cute though...but whatever....

hopefully this is the LAST time i take her to a place praveen suggests!!! :)

Flying Solo

Last couple of days i was flying Solo..Praveen is in NewZealand and we r home alone. I have stayed home alone with elisha..and She is sooo much better behaved without praveen around..But staying home with a toddler and 30 weeks pregnant just doesnt go hand in hand!!!

Wednesday praveen was off..I had some dishes to do and lunch to make..in the few minutes i was busy this is what happened.
-Folded laundary all over the place..infact a few tshirts were on elisha.
-Her drawers were pretty much empty..[yes my child loves to dress..didnt know it was to this extreme]
-She couldnt find her pacifier so everything ontop of the drawer was all over the shop
-A glass of juice spilled [Thank god it wasnt on top of any clean clothes]
-The glass broken.
-Jars containing pulses and legumes on the kitchen floor, and a few pulses spilled.
-Rag in front of the toilet draped over Elishas head

This just happened in less than 30 mins...What fun..NOT..so then i proceeded not to do anything and lock ourselves in the lounge..well its easier cleaning up just one room rather than the whole house right?

Thursday and Friday are Elishas Daycare days. I had warned praveen that if he needs to go away then these are the days he is allowed..yes i am very demanding..i thought the day she goes to day care would be sooo much easier!!! ha ya right

I dropped her off super early since i had a 9.30 appt with my personal trainer.[did i tell u my body is so sore]...did a few stuff around...ran a few errands...[i must quit acting like super woman and rest when elisha goes to daycare]...had a few last minute things to pick up before our big holiday..

Picked her up at 5ish..proceeded to come home..for some odd reason as much as she likes dressing up she loves to strip and do the full monty..she kept saying pooopeeeeeeee poooopeeeeeee..well poopeee means either a)shit or b)bathtime...so i got her diaper off and put her on the toilet..she asks for some tissue wipes herself and flushes and gets off...no poop done though...i put her nappy back on and was on phone with my BFF..suddenly elisha yells poopeeeeeeeee napppyyyy...and proceeds to strip and before she could get to her diaper i rescued her...sure enough there was some poop...why o why couldnt she just poop in the damn toilet...cleaned her up...gave her a bath..and then i needed a bath...

Theres is this eeerie silence in the house...the stupid me was under the impression that she is busy watchin simpsons...mmmmm WRONG..she stripped AGAIN..got her diaper off..all of a sudden i hear a biggggg scream...WTF..n then when i looked out..BIG PILE OF SHIT!!!..on my carpet..my cream coloured carpet..she got scared seeing it and was just standing a few steps away lookin and in tears...proceed to clean and realised she had stamped on it...it just doesnt get better right? give her a bath again..clean up...and i pray that this is the end

nope..my daughter has inherited my fear/yucky feeling towards Cockroaches...and last night we managed to kill 3..Where the hell r these coming from..each time she would see one she would scream and just go nuts...

finally i put her to sleep..and i am all pleased..my back hurts like a bitch...but i am not complaining...look up and there is this gigantic spider..if u know me well u will know i am SHIt scared of spiders..like i literally cannot function..and because i am soo scared of them i always tend to spot them...call praveen and i am literally shaking..and cursing..and almost in tears...i have to vaccum the damn thing out...Vaccum while a child is sleeping..i did..caught the bloody spider..and then it started all over again..Elisha was up crying screaming and it took me another god alone knows hours to get her calm

Friday is here and i survived...though i could do with a lot less excitement in my life when i am alone..Praveen comes tonight..and so far the day was good..well Elisha is in daycare..so its peaceful..well for now!!!

Me time...

This isnt anything exciting or blogworthy...But this needed to be penned down somewhere..

Its been more than a couple of years since i went out ALONE!!!!...usually theres Elisha..or Praveen n Elisha..or some friends or Family...but i havent gone out alone in ages..

I was at the doctors today..waiting for 2 hours doing my Glucose Tolerance Test..when the lady who draws blood opened this packet of Banana bread...yumm...and i am fasting...oh god..Thats when i decided i am going to go out today..and eat some banana bread...That ofcourse got a tad extended!!!

Today is Elishas day at Daycare and Praveen was meeting up with his colleague from UK..perfect..If i stayed home i would prolly be doing Laundary, Cooking, Cleaning the toilet[OCD me], or finishing elishas dress...So i decided to go out..

Dropped praveen at Ashfield station and went to Burwood Westfield...it felt sooo good to get out of the car without hearing Elishas scream to get out or get the jogger out...I was a free woman :)

Did some window shopping...i only look at Sale items...rarely do i check fullprice...i found a nice Teal coloured top [would go perfectly with the pant i plan on wearing for VDay lunchdate]...tried it on..was a tad bit loose..but they didnt have a size smaller...oh well a $40 buck top was down to $10bucks....so why not..n then i felt like accessorising...went n got these nice earrings [note: they were a couple of dollars more than the top..] and then i went to grab that damn banana bread that was haunting me the whole day!!!!

Foodcourt..Gloriajeans..ordered a small Flat white and a piece of BananaBread-Toasted with butter..This was probably one the best meals i have had since elisha was born..its not the taste or anything..i have had better food..but Freshly brewed coffee..Hot..not some coffee broth icy cold...Freshly toasted bread..with the butter melting..not some rubbery piece of food which is sooo cold that u forgot what it tasted like and just eat it for the sake of eating!!! This was special..each morsel and sip was cherished..

I must say the 2 hours i spent alone was really good..n then it was back to reality..Picked elisha..who was bouncing off the walls with energy..and ofcourse the husband..

Note to myself...DO THIS OFTEN!!!! :)

Veryyy touching

This video was shot in Victoria a couple of days ago after the bushfires..I was in tears...The koala is fine and is recovering...nearly 200+ ppl have lost their lives...a million native animals destroyed...1000's of houses gone...

http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=46072&category=Breaking%20News

Kids n the things they learnn

Elisha is as girly as an 18mth old can get...but her love of cars...it cant be mistaken..

now i dont know if that love is just restricted to our car or all cars...I am guessing its pretty much our car since she gets to go out in it and also play in it..

Yesterday I was babysitting Vivian..After she left Elisha was a bit cranky so i decided to take her down to play..Usually this is something praveen does, but since he was in melbourne i had to do it..

We go down..play for sometime..and then she takes the Carkeys and proceeds towards the car and tries to open it..Before she could scratch it i took the keys and opened it for her...then she climbed into the driver seat..pretended to start the car...and then my jaws fell down..

She opened the side cabinet..Took our GPS out and switched it on and tried putting it on the screen..then she kissed the rosary...n the final thing had me in stitches...she takes the phone headpiece puts it on and starts talking...WOW we surely are some influential parents eh!!!

ITs cute how she has seen all this and picked it up soooo well...wonder whats more in store for us!!!...

Happy 18 months Babyyy

Keeping the trend of my lovely mommy board friends...here goes..

Dearest elisha

Happppyyyyy 18 months to you my darling. I cannot believe you are 18 months...you r now closer to 2 years...and well in a way i am sad that you are growing yet happy that you are growin so well.

This last year and a half had sooooo many 1st's...for instance, you travelled on a plane, you went overseas, you rolled over, then sat, crawled, stood up, walked, ran...ate your first solids and now u are eating what we eat..and now you are all grown up and going to daycare...sniff...you look sooo big with that bag over you..yet tooo cute..

The last few months have been sooo much fun..you have started communicating..well not proper words but hey you make sure to tell me what you want...And boy o boy are you stubborn..i wonder where you get that from ;)

You have a way with your father..the poor man is roped in and all you need to do is cry or pretend to cry and he gives you what you want...although i am not a big fan of it, i let it be..coz i enjoy seeing the lovely bond you share with him..

Your smile is absolutely priceless..especially when you have done something very naughty and then look at me...totally melts my heart...even though i look at you with a very stern look, deep in me i am laughing..

Totally love the way you say Mama...sounds sooooooo adorable...and when u say mama luv u...awwwwwwwww...

You are a very independant girl...you like playing with ur friends, yet you enjoy playin by yourself..you like to do things by yourself..even if i offer to help you, you just want to do it by yourself..heres hoping this trend continues even when you grow up

You know where everything belongs...once you remove your shoes you will go n put them in the bag where all your shoes are...

oh the word of the month is shoes..Well you need your shoes on 24/7...its 40degrees celcius and you are in your boot like shoes all the time...god help us if we try and remove it...thank god you now understand that you do need to remove it before you sleep...you also know that the gigantic shoes are your fathers and the silver ones are mamas..my smart girl

by gods grace you eat well..you love alll kinda foood..be it veggies or meat...you loveee fruits..and like your mother you love chocolates and sleep :) i have taught you well havent i? hehe

And the best thing is going to happen to you, you are going to be a BIG sister in less than 4 months..I totally enjoy it when you come and pull my shirt up and then point to my belly and say bubba and kiss it...well the hilarious bit is when you do the same to your father..Thank you for doing it coz now he has started to work out :)

Elisha we love you, you are a ray of sunshine in our lives..and totally make everything worth it..You know how to make us smile and laugh and when we r tired or down you pep us up with a kiss and a cuddle..

We love you and Pray to god to bless you in everything you do :)

Lotsss of huggiiesss and kisssssiiiesssss MUUUUUUUUUUUAAHHH

Your overemotional mama :)