Jaipur - Oct 2011

We made a week long trip to Rajasthan during Adi's Diwali holidays. We went along with our friends and their daughter Shloka. Although there were a few fights, few tantrums and complains of forts being too boring, the kids had a wonderful time together. Both were armed with a camera and they had their own agenda of photographing things that they liked. I haven't copied Adi's photos yet, so these are mine and to make the post manageable, have separated them into the cities we visited.

Our first stop was at Jaipur and we stayed in this lovely little place called Jas Vilas. They had a small pool which the kids used as much as possible and also lots of open space to run around. The kids enjoyed more at the hotel than the sightseeing trips that we did :)

This one's at the Jaipur City Palace where we were walking towards the sound of music and were shocked to find Adi sitting along with the other musicians!

Again at the Jaipur City Palace

Yayy! Finally done with the City Palace!

Thought the green auto would be a good background but couldn't get the brat to pose!

This was in front of the a photograph display. Just asked the kids to pose as they liked :)

Adi wanted to meditate in the middle of nowhere!

At the hotel, enjoying a quiet morning.

At Amber Fort, the kids had a good time running around here.

At Chowki Dhaani, the kids had a blast here with the camel ride, the magic and dance shows, etc.

At the Jantar Mantar - the picture says it all!!

Brushing Teeth with Papa

This one had me rolling with laughter!! Video shot in December 2007 :)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7471743167344248815&pr=goog-sl

Red Riding Hood

Found another gem in my mailbox! This is of Adi reading out the Red Riding Hood story book. Although Adi would know the sentences by heart after we read the story to him a couple of times, we would always try and encourage him to tell the story in his own words. I have stopped doing this now and mostly just read out the book to him or make him read the sentences. Looking at this video I feel I should also make him narrate the story in his own words like I used to earlier.

This video was shot in December 2007 in London.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8322267054164770394&pr=goog-sl

Rhymes with Naani

I was going through my gmail account today and realized that I had mails going back to 2004. Just as I was about to start off with my 'cleanup' mission, I found this old video of Adi singing nursery rhymes with my  Mom, his Naani. This video was shot in November 2007, a couple of months after Adi turned 2.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=954979306141124259&pr=goog-sl

First Travel - Delhi, Phagwara, Amritsar - March 2007

Adi is a perfect travel companion (as long as he gets a new toy in the airport!) and I am going to have my first holiday alone with him when we travel to Singapore this December. This is subject to change provided KG gets leave during XMas but for now its just Adi and me and I am so looking forward to it.

I was packing our bags today for our Rajasthan trip and it brought back memories of our first travel with Adi. He was 6 months old and it was his first trip to his Maasi's home in Delhi and his Grandparent's place in Phagwara. We also made day trips to Chintpurni (pilgrimage site in Himachal Pradesh) and the Golden Temple at Amritsar. As normal parents, we were anxious about how he would fare, if his ears would pain during the takeoff and landing, if he would make a fuss in the long train journey to Punjab, if he would eat well, if he would get along with everyone. We worried for nothing as there was not a single whimper, not a single cry throughout all the flight, train and car trips - he ate well, he slept well and he was such a happy child. I guess after this trip we were ready to take on everything - dont think we worried ever again! Looking back, it was much easier travelling with him when he was baby than now. Then there was no distraction of toys, video games, inflight TV, etc - all he did was eat, poo and sleep. But now its a different story all together - during our Dussera holidays Adi was cartwheeling all around the Delhi airport and I had to stand and pretend that he was not my child!! Hehe!

A few memories from the trip...All set to go..

At Babli's Maasi's home...

With Dodda and Ajjamma...

With Kiran Aunty...

With Babli Maasi and Suraj Uncle...

With Babli Maasi...

Our FIRST EVER family picture!!

With Honey Bua...

With Prabjeet Didi...

All smiles..

With BadiMaa...

With Daddy...

With Uncle..

With BadePapa...

At the Golden Temple...

With Karan Bhaiya...

With TaayiMama and Prabjeet Didi...

All of us at the Golden Temple...

Time for some Milk...

All the rest en route or at the Chintpurni Temple...

7 Month Old

A few pictures of my baby when he was 7 months old. His twinkling eyes and naughty smile made my heart melt all the time - and it still does.

Thank You Doraemon

Doraemon (cartoon program on TV) has managed to do in 6 months what hubby and I couldn't in the last 3 years - make our son speak Hindi! Adi was a very early speaker - started saying single words when he was just 7 months old, 3 word sentences when he was 1 and by the time he turned two he was speaking fluent (rather, as fluent as it can get for a 2 year old) English, Hindi, Kannada and a smatter of Tamil and Tulu. And then we moved to London and one week in the nursery was all it took for him to stop speaking (or did he forget?) all languages except English. I spoke to him in Kannada for some time but eventually gave up when all I got was responses in English. Hubby dear pursued though and spoke to him mostly in Hindi throughout our time in the UK and although Adi kind of understood Hindi he never spoke it - only the Queen's English would do for him! And that too with a Brit accent!

The biggest challenge was communicating with his grandparents - who spoke Hindi. Every time they called, Adi would refuse to speak to them - only because he felt that he needed to speak in Hindi. Often we would prompt the answers and he would repeat after us - but he was never comfortable with this. When we told him that we were planning to move back to India, his biggest worry was if he would be able to communicate with everyone here - he thought that people in India only spoke Hindi and no English at all!!

Three and half years later, we returned to Bangalore and Adi had a four month break before he joined school.  During this time, a lot of TV watching was done and Adi just loved all the Indian cartoon programs - come to think of it, he even stopped watching his favourite program - Ben 10 - as he now preferred Chota Bheem, Krishna and Balram. As long as it was a cartoon program the language didnt matter - he watched both Hindi and English. Slowly he started using a few hindi sentences that he would hear on TV and also ask us the meaning of some words. In the last few months one of his favourite program has been Doraemon - which airs in Hindi. Ever since he has started watching this program, his Hindi vocabulary has drastically improved and with it his confidence to speak a language which he was for a long time not comfortable with. Thanks to Doraemon, Adi now speaks decent Hindi and also responds to us in Hindi. During our recent visit to Delhi and Punjab, he conversed a lot with his grandparents and cousins much to their delight.

Looks like the kiddo is slowly getting there and boy, are we happy!! Speaking to other parents, I realize that a lot of kids here also speak only in English and don't speak their local language or mother tongue anymore. So am thrilled that Adi is speaking a lot of Hindi now without us having to tell him to. He is also slowly picking up Tulu (my language) due to our frequent visits to Malpe. He knows a lot of words but doesn't form sentences as yet - only a few which he uses with his cousin Ridhi. I guess he will be fluent in Tulu as well in a couple of years or so - I am in no hurry and I know that he eventually will :)

Meanwhile, thank you Doraemon :)

Holiday time

2 weeks of school holidays and it was utter bliss! No waking up early in the morning, no desperate attempts to wake up Adi, no rush to get the brushing, eating, drinking, uniform and shoes done - it was just good old plain relaxation and I even managed to read 3 books in these 2 weeks. We visited my sis in Delhi for 5 days and then the rest of the days with Adi's grandparents in Phagwara. Adi had a great time with his cousins and hardly needed me for anything - and hence the 3 books :) Back to school now and back to routine - which also means I am back to blogging! :)