Your first fight

Dear Piya,
This note is about a fight.
You see baby, given that you are teddy-bear sized small, there are only a limited number of objects you can pick a fight with.
In this case, it happened to be with a quarter-plate-sized  wheel-shaped rattle with three golf-sized balls rotating in the outer rim.

Some details about you first - your mouth is only so big as to fit your thumb into it comfortably (an experience you indulge in luxuriously!)

So back to the incident where you were playing with this rattle with glee - having just learnt to catch hold of objects in your tiny fist, you chose to enjoy the rattle-sounds for about a minute before deciding to draw it near your face, open your mouth and try to take a bite.

I keep telling you that not everything that fits in your fist is meant to be eaten, but do you ever listen?

Anyway, given the 2:1 size ratio of the ball in the rattle : your mouth, the entire effort to try to eat it went in vain.
But you are not the one to give up without a fight, my little braveheart!
So you made the rattle shake in air again creating some more rattle-sounds. Thinking that this would have perhaps shrunk the ball in size somehow you made a second attempt to eat the ball.
But that is not how things shrink in size, honey.

You were not ready to give up still, so this time, with the final look of determination on your face you shook the rattle wildly in the air creating a loud rat-a-tat-tat sound. And after two minutes of this you made the third and last attempt to take a bite at what now seemed like a ball that just wouldn't budge.

Alas! It did not fit your mouth yet again. (Big surprise!)

At this point you gave the rattle a long, angry stare and then all of a sudden chucked it on the ground.

Soon after, you got busy playing with your hands, going on to sucking the old, reliable friend - your thumb.

When I came near to check if you were okay with the rattle-battle, you took one look at the picked up rattle in my hand and casually looked away. Your indifferent attitude towards it can only be described as saying - I never really wanted the rattle-ball anyway!

I put the rattle in your hand anyway.
This time, you looked at it closely and then chose to play with it without trying to eat it.

Instead of continuing the fight or making a foe, you chose to make your peace with this opponent.

I kept watching you in awe.
These small things of yours are big life lessons to me.

Keep this spirit within you always!



Love,
Maa

A child's expressions

Dear Piya,
One of the greatest pleasures of my life, today, is looking at you.
I could do it all day long; not just because I love you beyond words, but because you are my mini-theatre, full of myriad expressions.
Now, I don't know what they are really meant for since when asked, you only reply with 'gee-gaa, hmmmm, hmmmmm'.
So I have worked out a few theories for understanding them.

One of your expressions is that of a silent-stare, pout-faced reflection directed towards your stretched out arm and peacock-feathers like dancing hand at its end.
I call this the 'fooled you, haha'.

You seem to be jovially playing with me when you, all of a sudden, decide to move your hand towards my face. I feel wonderful and make my face dance over your mushy fingers. It feels like my face is being kissed by bubbles!
You respond with giggles but your eyes are fixated on your hand.
You make your five-little fingers move left and right about your tender wrist while observing their movement. Then you curl your fingers to form a fist and begin to pout. I think that you are getting mad about something.
I ask you, ''Is everything okay, baby?''
You make your thumb pop out of your fist.
I feel like you are giving me a thumbs-up in response to my question!
And just as I am revelling in this awesome moment, you withdraw your hand and in one smooth trajectory-like motion slip your thumb into your mouth.

As I look at you dumb-founded, you part your lips into a mischievous smile from behind the thumb-sucking, with 'fooled you, haha' written on your face.

I don't know what more to say, darling, except that you are simply amazing!


Love,
Maa.

Hunger issues

Dear Piya,
As much fun as it is to see you try to talk gibberish, it is a task too.
So when you said 'agoooo, geeyaaah...hmmmmm, hmmmmm', yesterday, I got that you wanted something.

Since there are myriad things that you could want, I quickly ran through the checklist:
Hunger
Wet nappy
Cold limbs
Runny nose
Hunger
Discomfort in outfit
Discomfort in position
Sleepiness
Burp
Hunger


Yes, sweetheart, you were right in reading 'Hunger' thrice in the list.

I would like to start the explanation for this with - Make up your mind, darling!
I have to check thrice for hunger because you don't always comply in one go.
It's like you like playing hardball!

Okay, fine. I shouldn't be so harsh.
For all I know, your mumbling is for dry nappy-warm blanket-comfortable position-based hunger.
If that is the case then at least you know what you want and that is something to be proud of, girl!
Stay this clear-headed always and never settle for anything less than what you deserve, that is after having put in your everything to be that capable.

Don't mind me being fussy in the beginning of this note, love.
I am really tired and kind of in a trance right now.
It is probably because of all the fun I had not being able to sleep last night because somebody would just not make up her mind about being hungry!

Just kidding.

Really not.

Not at all mad at you.

Maybe a little, yes.

Ahem.

I guess we will never know why you can't make up your mind.



Love,
Maa.


P.S. Like mother, like daughter!

The gift of voice

Dear Piya,
You seem to be growing up so fast!
And as much as I write, there are many more beautiful events happening by the minute with you, which may not find their way to ink but will always remain captured in my heart.

A few days ago, you discovered the gift of voice.
Ever since then, you can't stop playing with sounds, trying to mouth words.
It is such fun to watch you do this!
You are yet to chance upon a word that makes sense, but you are really happy with what looks like the invention of a new language.
I am trying my best to de-code it, for the benefit of both of us.

There is a range of decibel-level that you experiment with.
Some sounds are soft like a kitten's mews and some shrieks are loud enough to wake up the neighbours!
Filled with a lot of 'oooo' and 'eeee', I don't understand a thing you say, yet it somehow feels like I get everything you speak.

You were going on 'goo-goo-gaa-gaa', some days back and I was intently looking at you. It was a moment of absolute delight. I had nothing else on my mind but the brimming joy of seeing you explore sounds. The relaxation of forgetting everything whilst being with you is rejuvenating (only when you are playful!).
Wanting to connect with your language, I kept talking to you amidst your gleeful mumbling - asking you all sorts of things.
Every once in a while, you took a pause, made eye contact and beamed with glee.
And then suddenly you put both your hands on your cheeks and laughed at a question I had asked.
With you small mouth gaped open and twinkling eyes smiling at me, it seemed like I had understood your gee-gaa correctly and that you were displaying awe at me having cracked your secret code.
It was a hurray-moment!

I have never enjoyed any conversation this much. With you, even the tiniest of achievements seem wonderful.
You fill my day with cheer, love.

Keep playing with this gift of voice and keep coming up with newer words, as the existing ones are archaic and can wait to become a part of your vocabulary.



Love,
Maa


P.S. It would mean the world to me if your first word is Maa. Also, it would make your father jealous and there is another level of joy in that.

The first one

Dear Piya,

You, my sweet-pea, are four months-old today.
It is high time now that I start sharing my thoughts with you.
I have been doing that since you were born, yes, by talking to you about multiple things.
You have responded with a smile and some indecipherable words & sounds so far.
Since I have no way of finding out whether you understand or agree with my incessant talks, I am going to take your clueless-curiosity-filled expression as a green light to keep talking to you.

I will start writing about our talks, along with a short note, today onwards.



I love the way you stare at things.
It seems as if you are trying to make sense of the existence of these things around you.

Yesterday, you were staring out of the window, probably looking at the lush green lemon tree in the garden or maybe looking at the clouds making their way through the sky beyond.
Given how fast life has become, I, as an adult, have stopped making time for such observations.

Since you are really small, I keep checking up on you every now and then. Through that, I end up mapping as well as emulating your actions.
So when you were looking up and out, I followed your curiosity and was humbled by a sight so mundane yet under-explored at the same time!

After a minute of silent reflection, I softly thought aloud - this is so peaceful.
As if immediately agreeing with me, you happened to hum the sound 'hmmmm'.
The beauty of this moment stayed afloat for sometime.

I don't know if you will grow up or make me a child again.
Given how wonderful your side of the world looks like, I would gladly accept the latter.


Love,
Maa.