Thank you, thank you everyone!

It is my 5^th wedding anniversary today. Whew! Some 5 years it has been!!

At the time we started a new life together, many people – including a bunch of astrologers - predicted that we would not complete 6 months together. This 5^th anniversary is the beginning of God’s answer to all those who tried to play God, to all those who claimed to see what was written in our stars but failed to see the love in our hearts.

When I told Manu that we ought to celebrate, he suggested the usual thing – prepare something special for friends and neighbors or throw a party of all of them. But there was something else on my mind.

I wanted to do something different, something really special. I wanted the two of us to personally visit and thank each and every person who supported us or played a role – big or small – in bringing us together. Well that list isn’t a short one. So I guess we have to spare at least a week to get it done. In the meanwhile, let me put down my gratitude in words.

Now here is a look at some of those wonderful individuals:

Neethu: She’s the one I’m indebted to most since I met Manu through her.

Ansil ikka: Manu first met me through Ansil ikka when the two were at my office. 

Suneer, Rinash and Jasar: Three incredible guys who gave us complete help, support (and transport!) at a crucial time.

Jayan chettan and family: A sweet family and Manu’s relatives that gave us refuge when we needed it most.

Jayaram Sir, Yamuna Chechi, Santosh chettan and all the staff at JR Computers: For arranging a nice wedding ceremony, providing great encouragement and helping us get started off.

Jairaj, Ginto and others: For their invaluable presence and support.

In addition to these individuals, there are also others who have made these 5 years worth remembering. Let me thank them too:

Mummy (Manu’s mom): For welcoming me warmly into the family and being a mother instead of a mother-in-law. She worked non-stop (as always!) during the days I was hospitalized for my deliveries, trying hard to help me recuperate and run the household as well. A gem of a person with not a negative feeling towards anyone. Hard to believe someone can be so kind and forgiving. There’s more I could write about Mummy. But it just dawned on me that it would be better to dedicate an entire post to her instead.

Niyas: For being a true friend to Manu, keeping him away from bad company and for the great help he has provided on several occasions.

Raziya aunty: To put it simply, she is our World Bank! Whenever we hit a financial crisis, we go straight to her. She has always provided us excellent advice on maintaining financial stability.

Liya uncle, Hafeela aunty, Aysha and Ahzan: As Hafeela aunty says, she is Manu’s mother in law now. Actually this is the only family from my past that still maintains contact with me and pays me a visit every now and then. Thanks a lot for simply being there for us!

Harish and Vidhu: For including us in their wonderful trips to Guruvayoor and Kumarakom.

Finally, I would like to thank God Almighty for helping us find one another and for being there with us in all our ups and downs. Thank you God for this beautiful life and for this wonderful life partner. Love you Manu!

Onam's here!!

It was Onam yesterday. 


After the usual sadya, Aman and Ayush had a great time with Kannan and Ambadi at Vijayan aliyan's house.


Here are some snaps of Aman with the new 'Kaduva' masks he bought.

Back to Sri Padmanabha’s land

It was 13^th August 2011. Manu, Aman, Ayush and I were on our way to Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram to spend a couple of days with Manu’s uncle’s family. The moment we crossed Kollam, memories came flooding into my mind. After all, it had been almost 5 years since I had been to Thiruvananthapuram. Since I had left home in September 2006, I never had a reason to go back there.

The uncle’s house was located in a great place full of banana and rubber plantations. Aman immediately connected with their grandchild Kashinathan whom they call Akku. This sweet little boy was a real chatterbox. His mom is a nurse in the Medical College and his Dad works with Gokulam Chits. The family really pampered us with their care and hospitality.

On the second day of our visit, all of us jammed into our car for a trip down to the Shankhumukham Beach. It was a truly memorable evening. Seemed like the entire people in Thiruvananthapuram were at the beach. The waves were huge and came crashing down, sending fine mists almost up to the road. All of us joined hands and ventured a bit into the water. The kids shrieked with joy each time the waves drenched them. When we had enough of it, Aman spotted the ice-cream wagon.

After a round of Cornettos we all were relaxing on the sand and waiting for our clothes to dry off when a stray dog strolled by and sat by Aman - probably attracted by the chocolatey mess on his face!. Then Akku started pulling his Dad towards the kids’ park. As soon as Aman saw the rides there, he was out of control. He wanted to ride on the train, the car, the plane, the horse and everything else that caught his fancy. We had a tough time controlling the kids. Finally we managed to get them out of the park with promises of ice-creams, chocolates and masala dosa at Akku’s favorite restaurant!

 

Although we adults were tired after all that hungama, the kids were still full of energy. Thankfully Aman and Akku dozed off as soon as we reached home. As I packed our things to leave the next day, both the kids looked upset. Akku came up to me, gave me a tight hug, a small peck on my cheek and enquired if we really had to go. I assured him we would be back after a few days.

It was a nice trip that Aman thoroughly enjoyed. He simply cannot stop talking about Akku to our neighbors. My only regret was that I couldn’t go to the Sri Padmanabha temple and Pazhavangadi temple. It was something I had been planning for a long time. But then there is always a next time…

Ayush – A true gift

Asha wanted to know why I hadn’t posted anything significant about Ayush. She also gave me a dig enquiring if his birth had disappointed me since I had been looking forward to a daughter.

My son is a precious gift from God. So there is no reason to be disappointed about that. In fact, he is extra special to me for another reason. Here’s that untold story…

It was October 2009. Manu and I had been planning for a second baby. From the few subtle symptoms I had been experiencing for some days, I was sure I had conceived. However, I waited till the expected days of periods were well past before breaking the news to Manu. Naturally, he was thrilled.

That evening Manu passed on the good news to his friends while they were in the middle of a party. Around this time, Manu was planning to purchase a new car. His friends too knew about this. When Manu told them that a new baby was on the way, their question was ‘What about the new car?’ Manu replied that the car purchase would now be put on hold since the baby was top priority. But his friends didn’t seem to get the point. They were like ‘How can you say no to a car because of a baby. Why not say no to the baby? You can always have a baby later on. But now is the right time to buy a car.’

 

Though their logic may seem ridiculous, they somehow managed to convince Manu to go forward with the car purchase after having the baby aborted. When Manu informed me about this decision, I was shattered. I did not sleep that night. I didn’t want to let go of my baby at any cost. I kept tossing and turning all night worrying if this would perhaps be the last night for the little one. We were to go to the doctor the next day.

When we arrived at the hospital, the staff informed us that the doctor would be late by 2 hours. I felt it was a God-given chance to try talking to Manu again. But Manu maintained that his friends had a point – desperate situations called for desperate measures.

The doctor arrived. Manu explained matters. She immediately scribbled something on a paper, tore it off and directed me to a room at the far end of the corridor. My fingers wrapped tightly around the piece of paper were trembling as I made my way to the door. I slowly raised my hand to the cold handle of the door and turned back to look at Manu standing a few feet back. Tears were streaming down my face as I told him one last time ‘I don’t want to do this to my baby.’

I seriously don’t know what happened in that instant. Maybe the seriousness of the situation had suddenly dawned on him or perhaps it was the pathetic look on my face, Manu told me the baby didn’t have to go if I wanted it so much. The feeling of sadness that had engulfed me suddenly lifted and I sighed with relief. My baby was gonna live!

For the next 9 months leading up to my delivery, I continued to countdown the days left until I could finally see my little one’s face. Thanks to God’s grace, there was nothing complicated. But little was I to know that another grueling test was just around the corner.

It was the evening of June 30^th 2010. I was in the doctor’s room for my checkup. The baby was due in a week. I informed the doctor about a gripping pain in my legs. She completed the check up and advised me to get admitted right away. The c-section would be performed next morning. I went back home, collected my things and got admitted within a couple of hours.

As the doctor had predicted, the pain worsened at night. It wasn’t contractions. And there was no chance of a normal delivery since the baby’s position wasn’t right. All night I battled the pain. I so badly wanted to see Manu. But he was away on business and would arrive only in the morning. Meanwhile the nurses kept repeating everything was alright and that I would be operated on first as soon as the doc arrived in the morning.

When the pain still hadn’t subsided by early morning, the doctor informed the head nurse to keep monitoring the baby’s movements. It was then I started fearing something was not right. I forgot my pain and began praying for my baby. My Caesarean was scheduled for 11.30 am. But the doc arrived early and started operating at around 8.30 am. Soon they lifted out the little one. But he looked as if he was covered in mud. And he wasn’t crying.

The doctor gave him a small smack on his bottom. Still no cries. Another smack followed – a sharper one. This time he suddenly jerked and out flowed some kind of dark, thick liquid from his nose and mouth. Then came the sound we all had been waiting for – a loud wail.

The doctor then handed him over to the nurses. As the two nurses cleaned him, the doc noticed that the baby was again silent. ‘Why isn’t the baby crying? Let me hear him crying.’ The doc told the nurses. One of the nurses quickly inserted a thin tube into his nose and pulled out more of that liquid. Now that the obstruction was almost gone, Ayush cried out loud and clear, much to the relief of everyone present.

The nurse wrapped him up in a blanket and brought him to me. I gently kissed him on the cheek and watched as the nurse carried him away to the pediatrician. In a few minutes, I was transferred to my room. I eagerly looked around for the baby. ‘He will be here soon.’ Manu assured me. I kept praying that nothing bad turn up in his check up. Thankfully, he was alright. He had swallowed some fluid while in the womb. Now he was okay and breathing well.

When the nurse finally laid him gently beside him, I looked at him for the longest time. Everything that happened in the past 10 months – from the time of conception to the delivery- passed through my mind in fast-forward mode. I closed my eyes and offered my thanks to God for the wonderful gift that lay peacefully sleeping, blissfully unaware of the worries he had already caused me!

Today, Ayush is an extremely naughty one-year old always looking for new ways to pick up fights with his brother. Ayush really is our sunshine, a true gift.

Ayush in a bucket!!

Even at the height of monsoons when everyone is really feeling the cold and longing to curl up after winding up the day's work, Ayush is always sweaty and ready for a refreshing bath in cold water. Unlike other kids of his age, Ayush loves bath time. In fact, he is extremely upset and starts protesting when I pick up up from the water to dry him off.

Today was an exceptionally cold day. But take a look at these snaps to see Ayush happily making a splash in a bucketful of water.

The rains are here again!!

Here is a video of what morning was like. I am posting this specially for Gopi who hoped that we were enjoying the monsoons. Take a look and tell me what you think of it.

By the way I also considered adding a snap of the huge load of laundry that had to be put aside for a week due to non-stop rains. But then I thought why spoil the whole ambiance of monsoons. After all the cool showers gave Ayush and me a good reason to oversleep!!

Birthday snaps of my boys

Here are some snaps that I took yesterday. Both of them are wearing the new clothes their Dad gifted them for their birthday.