Doctor Visits

October started with all of us getting ill. First Leela got a cold. Then Ishi's dad did. Then I got one with a bad cold, dry cough and blocked ears that went on for so long, I actually had to visit a doctor. And when I started getting better, Ishi had her first real illness with a slight cold and cough which started getting worse on of all days, her first birthday October 19, 2011. After a couple of days of coughing and runny nose, we took her to her pediatrician. Though she did not have any fever, she did have prolonged expiration and the possibility of a slight wheeze, specially given the bad air quality near Diwali, made him a bit cautious. We ended up with three medicine prescriptions! Nasivion, nasal drops to help her breathe; T-minic, for her cold and Sarbutamol syrup, a broncho-dilator to help her breathe. Additionally, we tried to keep her room humidified and switched off the AC. On her post Diwali visit, she showed improvement, but still the prolonged expiration and doc advised to continue medicines for another couple of days. I was a bit concerned she might not be well for her birthday party, but her medicine course ended on Saturday and she was as fine as a fiddle on Sunday for the party!

Post the party, we took her back to the doc on Monday for an all clear and final check up. He also completed her 1 year milestone check - all developments checked so far! Then came the time for vaccinations. Poor Ishi ended up with two - chicken pox and hepatitis A. One on her thigh and one on her arm. She is now beginning to understand syringes and associate the pain, and didn't like it at all. Still, she cried only for a bit, and daddy cuddled her and walked her up and down to soothe her. Another visit check on her doctor card. Next visit is at 15 months.

First Birthday Party

Last Sunday (October 30, 2011) was Ishi's first birthday party. It was a culmination of almost a month of planning! It was well attended by friends and family though we did lose some last minute guests to seasonal flu and the first ever Indian F1 race which was on the same day!

The venue was beautiful. We chose the lawn tennis ground, which was covered with lush grass and enclosed with green creepers with little purple flowers. There was also a big children's swing set with a ropewalk and a slide just next to the venue. We decided on a Pink/Lavender color scheme to create a magical place for a beautiful baby girl.

It was a delightfully sunny autumn afternoon. The guests entered under a fluffy balloon gate, flanked with a board announcing the party, in the courtyard filled with splashing fountains. They found themselves in a lush fairyland with two huge gazebo tents and stand alone umbrella tables and chairs.

The pride of the place went to a large collage of Ishi's photographs, flanked by two bubble machines that floated iridescent orbs over the guests. Spread on the table counter just under the collage was a big chart for the guests to write their messages for the birthday girl. To the left was the place for gifts, while on the right was an overflowing bowl of candies surrounded by lollipops, party hats, noisies and party masks!

  

A little ahead, and in the middle of the two gazebos was a beautifully draped cake table. The cake itself was an enchanting princess castle with beautiful sugar towers, ivy with flowers on the walls, pink windows and doors, all decorated with hearts and colorful gems and sprinkles. Inside were layers and layers of yummy chocolate and vanilla, which everyone raved about. There was even a smaller eggless version for the pure vegetarians! The candle was a pretty lotus that bloomed on being lit, and a sprinkler candle on the cake, that shot fiery sparks!

 

     

Opposite the collage was the children's area with jungle bouncy, a tattoo artist who painted live tattoos and a candy floss maker who spun sugary delights! Beyond this was the catering areas where Moets the caterers served a delicious menu! Doing the rounds of the guests were the starters - dahi kebab, chilli potatoes, mini veg pizza, murg malai tikka, mutton galouti kebeb and fish orly. They were washed down by assorted soft drinks and juices. For the main course there was shahi paneer, cholle, veg biryani, murgh makhani, mutton rogan josh, goan fish curry, live pasta and noodles stations (veg and non veg), assorted indian breads, green salad, dahi bhalla and papads. On the dessert counter, the cake was joined by rasmalai, tiramisu and ice cream. Everyone raved about the food! Some loved the paneer, some the fish, others went gaga on the noodles ... the pasta ... the tiramisu - the menu got a resounding approval from everyone!

After the good food, the conversations and the fun, when it was time to leave, the guests were again surprised with a variety of return gifts. For the kids there were flash cards for the tots; dolls, jigsaw puzzles, play dough and ramp cars for the young ones; and sliding puzzles, nail art, candle making sets and Ra-One Shahrukh Khan notebooks for the elder children. The adults were not forgotten, and went back with sparkly and ribboned boxes of chocolates.

At the end of the party, all of us (Dida, Dadu, Tuki Maashi and Deepak Mesho included) went back home loaded with gifts and yummy leftovers! 

Once at home, it was an gifts everywhere as the unwrapping and the fun began! Boxed toys, wheeled toys, soft toys, clothes, books, even a silver spoon covered the living room! So much love, good wishes and loads of blessings for our little princess was the perfect ending to a magical day.

Happy birthday little angel. We love you!

First Birthday Invite

Ishi's first ever birthday invitation formally went out on facebook last night.

Video version: Saisha's Birthday Invitation

Painting Class 101: Red & Green paint make Brown Art!

Ishi had her proper trial pre-preschool class today. She was with a bunch of other kids, mostly 15-17 months old. There was free play time, painting (washable non-toxic paints with aprons!), music, a story, colorful fabric (parachute) flapping, bubbles, and lots of constant activity followed by snack time! We are signing up for the Saturday class for now - one class per week till she is 15-16 months or so, to help her get socialized to being with other kids and people.

 Here is her first piece of art! One blob of red and green paint each, mixed thoroughly with her (mostly left) hand and half her left arm, covered with paper and banged upon to imprint her first masterpiece into permanence!

Off to School

Off to first Pre-school trial class at Intellitots. Both Daddy and Mommy came to check out the place. Ms Namita took us around the premises, explained the class progression and we sat in one of the class sessions for 10 minutes. Age group for this class varies from 8months to 14 months and beyond. This particular session had senior tots, all of them happily running around..no crawlers/wobblers! Going back on Saturday for another trial for a new 1-2yr batch. After that will decide when to start school! The plan is to start 1 class a week in the beginning and move to 2/week after 6-8 months! Depending on how the trial classes go, we might wait for a month or so till she is more confident standing upright/cruising, before starting classes...but undecided on that.

Ishi's behavior in class was a bit dazed. So many kids around, so much noise! She sat quietly, fiddled with the bows on her pants and then tried crawling about a bit on the mat. Not much to see in 10 minutes. But we feel a gradual introduction into socializing with kids, with one of us around, would be much better, than waiting for a later date and then starting with a bang. Lets see how it works out!

Rocking away to Pre-Preschool!

It seems its never too early to go to school! Intellitots, a preschool in Gurgaon, runs a parent-infant program for babies from 6 months onwards! So while we've been taking it lazy, other parent-infant combos are bonding in a more structured and educational manner!

So I've signed us on for a 30 mins trial class tomorrow. While the lady was very happy for us to join the trial class, I'm informed there is a waiting list for the actual class....erm what? So she is 10 months old. This class runs 6m-12m and 6m-14m kids. Plus they are starting something new for 1yr-2yr olds. So, she will be too late for option 1 (due to waiting), but too early for option 2??? What are we getting into??? "Come for the trial class", says she, "and lets see what happens."

She is just 10 months old and we are late already??? <Space reserved for entirely unsuitable exclamations>

Oh the horror of being taking-it-easy parents!! Well no more! Also on the agenda tomorrow morning, is a visit to a nearby Pre-school that starts admission from 1.6yrs onwards. So what if its 9 months (almost double her current age) away. We may already be in the 'lax parents' category!

An optional item on tomorrows agenda is a rocking horse. Brad Pitt has bought Shetland ponies for his brood. Surely we can buy a rocking horse for Ishi. I mean come on...its a rocking horse! I love them...erm...I mean she will love it! Assuming it is age and price appropriate...and space appropriate...and...ahh come on...its a horse! Or an elephant (as I saw in a store). On further research on the net, rocking toys are a category by themselves, with some amazingly fun combinations. Though when I try to check for its educational/development qualities, all I get is a bunch of businesses named Rocking Horse. But surely such a classic wouldn't be a classic without some fantastically supreme qualities. It will teach her balance...and ...er rocking..and ..umm...something more too. Google is not my friend today. But a rocking horse might soon be Ishi's. Maybe...hopefully..could be. Which kid wouldn't love a pony .... adults included! :)

Sketched on iPad