Recent Developments

• I have mentioned it quite a few times by now that Jennifer loves music.  It's no secret.  Once the music starts playing, and especially if it is a fast number with beats, she sits up and starts moving to the music.  Yesterday, I have witnessed her clapping her hands as well!  And that, too, properly.  Without making any clapping sound!  But she was 'rocking' and 'clapping' nevertheless along with the music.
• Baby's verbal communication so far has been a wide range of shrieks, screams, gaaaa's and goooo's.  But she still manages to get her message across.  However, now she has started using her tongue as well.  She now rounds her tongue and tries to make sounds, converting the gaaaa's into baaaa's and the goooo's into boooo's.  Might sound silly, but it actually looks as if she is getting ready to say her first word sooner rather than later. :)
• She is becoming very adept at crawling.  However, like I mentioned before, she is not satisfied with that.  The day she started crawling, she tried sitting.  Once she mastered sitting, she started trying to stand up.  Now that she knows how to pull herself to a standing position, her next aim is to climb stairs.  And she tries hard.  Whenever she comes near stairs (that go up!), she puts her hands on the next step, stands up but so far has not managed to life her feet, too!  Only a matter of time.
• She likes to have her "teeth" "brushed"!  Only problem is that she doesn't have any yet!  But in the morning, once she is awake, I take her to the sink, and rub her gums...she loves it!  And she likes brushing in general.  When my wife and I brush our teeth, Jenny just stares and doesn't move!  She is just mesmerised by the whole 'brushing' act!  I hope she stays this enthusiastic ones she has to do it herself.

I guess these updates shall do for today.  Incidentally, she completes 8 months today.  Let's see what more developments we can add to the list this time next month when she completes 9!

Beard and spects? Has to be Dad!

A constant doubt that exists in my mind is how babies recognise people?  I mean, I accept babies are clever and all...but how do they recognise people?  

Jennifer keeps meeting 'regulars' all the time.  I have very good friends who come by every weekend.  And there are other kind folks who invite us to their homes so they can see the kid.  Even if Jennifer gets to see them on a weekly basis, it would take her some time to get used to them.  She wouldn't like it if she gets picked up immediately when someone 'new' confronts her.  She would need to be in her parents' arms for some minutes, see the newcomer from a distance and then slowly she would warm up to them.  It's only to people she sees every day that immediate 'picking up privileges' are provided!

I keep worrying that if she were to go to Kerala for a couple of weeks without me, if she would remember me when she comes back.  Would I be a vivid memory or a newcomer who needs to be reacquainted?  Would I have to win her love and liberty towards me all over again?  It's thoughts like these that haunt me when I think of sending her and her mother off to Kerala on vacations without me.

But yesterday, something amusing happened.  A friend of mine dropped by to see Jenny.  He actually was a first-timer in our home.  Now regarding physical appearance, we share a lot of common attributes: both of us have french beards, both of us wear glasses, both of us have been blessed with an over-abundance of physical stature (means we are both fat!) and are almost same height.  So, when he came home and Jenny saw him, she immediately went to him and allowed him to pick her up!  We were amazed.  Which makes me wonder: did she think it was me?  Does she really not recognise me properly yet?  Is it still only externals she goes for first?

Anyways, I am still keeping her under observation.  Maybe someday, I shall understand how she distinguishes one human being from another.  Maybe then I can do something for her to remember me by and I can finally allow my wife to take a home-trip! ;)

Learning to play

One always presumes that children always play and love playing.  Wrong.  As a fresh parent I can say that for the past couple of months, my child had no idea what 'playing' and 'games' or 'toys' were.  It is us parents who were more eager to play with the baby, or buy her toys and so on.  I really wonder what Jenny understood by all this; what she must have thought when I would roll on the ground with her; what she must have thought when we would bring a doll to her face talking in false voices; what she would think when I roll a ball to her...she wouldn't have had a clue about anything!

However, now that she is entering her 8th month, things are changing.  Now she actually got playful.  She crawls around the house, picks up stuff, tastes it first (!) and then starts banging it on the floor, all the while looking at our faces and grinning broadly.  When we all lay down or sit on the ground together, she 'attacks' us making sounds and doing this and that....she knows it is fun and she enjoys it, too.

But it is not only that.  We have noticed that she can distinguish between children and grown-ups as well.  When she meets grown-ups, she always needs some time to get used to them, won't allow them to hold her and will get very cranky if they do.  On the other hand, if it is children who come home, things are different.  She herself crawls towards them, makes attempts to play, or communicate, and so on.  I don't know how she understands that children are different and that she is one of them!  But she does.  

I keep realising that I am giving children (especially infants) way too little credit.  They are much smarter than we think, they learn things faster than we think, they understand nuances much faster than we expect and so on and so forth.  Babies are smart.  They are actually as rational as well are....only in a different manner.  We should give them the credit due to them. :)

What is the world coming to: The custodians have become irresponsible

Yesterday, I had a very interesting discussion with a friend concerning 'anthropocentric theology'.  I know it looks quite complicated, but actually the concept per se is quite simple.  The inclusion of the term 'theology' in this would mean that it is a belief system.  It does not necessarily presume a divine deity or the concept of redemption...it just means that it is a belief system to which people adhere.  

Anthropocentrism: a concept that human beings may regard themselves as the central and most significant entities in the universe, or that they assess reality through an exclusively human perspective (source: Wikipedia).  Therefore, anthropocentric theology is a system of faith or belief where humanity considers itself to be the focal point of creation, superior to everything else and master of all.  Humankind is meant to rule the earth and everything exists for man's convenience.

Being a Christian, by default I adhere to an extend to this theory.  Our belief teaches us that man has been created in God's image and that man is responsible for the earth.  He may hunt, he may cultivate but he has to take care of everything.  He has been put on this earth by God to take care of His creation.  This much is a given.

Let's put the faith aspect aside.  Man does seem to be the most rational of all creations.  He seems to be the most creative one as well.  Man observes, studies, learns and adapts...much better and deeper than any other creation on the planet.  And all that is fine.  Man has not been gifted with abilities to let them remain dormant or allowing them to dry out.  In fact, I personally would consider it to be a sin if someone let's their talents and abilities go waste.  

But that's where I draw the line.  To quote what is most likely the most famous of all comic strip lines, "With great power comes great responsibility".  Ideally, there should not be any poverty on the planet.  Ideally, people should not have to die of hunger and cold.  Ideally, there should not be disparity in wealth and ownership.  Ideally, there should not be crime.  Yet, it is surely clear to all of us that this is not an ideal existence.

If I had a gardener and if I were to see my garden overgrown with weeds, with dried up plants, without proper care being taken, I would dismiss him right away for not doing his duty.  If I had a babysitter, and would find her sleeping while on duty, or engrossed in her own work, or mistreating the child, what would I do?  If I would buy the most expensive of ingredients and give them to my cook, only to find him spoiling them all by deep-frying them, what would I do?  And more importantly, why do would I act in such a harsh way towards the gardener, babysitter, cook or anyone like this?  What is it that would enrage me so much?  Human error I can forgive...lack of knowledge or awareness as well.  But lack of responsibility and a break of trust is not something I can bear.  I entrust the well-being of my child to the babysitter.  I hold the cook responsible to use the ingredients well.  And so on.  When we entrust people with certain duties, we hold them accountable for it.

Why should humanity as a whole be seen any different?  If human beings have been put on this planet in order to live meaningful lives, all the while taking care of what is around us, are we doing our duty?  Let's have a look at facts, shall we?

• How many species of flora and fauna have we driven into extinction or to the brink?
• Haven't we almost completely exhausted natural resources?
• Haven't we polluted everything around us (air, water, environment) to the point where things have gone out of control? (You may read the blog: http://anamika-carpediem.blogspot.com/2010/05/were-all-downstream.html on this topic)
• Aren't we living our lives without any consideration how our lives will impact that of our children?
• Aren't we distancing ourselves from our fellow beings so much that people are becoming more and more isolated and more and more withdrawn to their own lives?

These are just some points to ponder over.  If we were to be evaluated on our performances on this planet as its caretakers, we would do miserably.  How can we call ourselves the pinnacle of evolution, the crown of creation, the master of all, when all we know is how to spoil, destroy and endanger?  It is a sad state of affairs.  And my friend, with whom I was having this discussion, is of the strong opinion that things have gone too far to tread lightly or slowly now.  Drastic steps need to be taken.  Major changes have to be embraced.  If not, I am quite sure, we ourselves will see very bad days to come before we even pass on the reigns to our kids.

I need my sleep!

I think it is not a coincidence that humankind in general loves its sleep.  While animals immediately get on their feet after being born, human beings lie on their backs...for months!  The thing we do the most after being born is to sleep.  The thing we need the most once we start working is sleep.  The thing we like doing the most on holidays is sleep.  The absence of sleep makes us irritable; it makes us sick.  We may not be able to do without it, but we gladly indulge and sleep longer than actually necessary.  And finally, when our life on earth is about to get over, we end up on bed (deathbed) again.  It somehow seems pre-destined that sleep is not something that we can do without.

Jennifer has her own sleep schedule.  She would keep awake for about two hours at a stretch and would then require about half hour of 'power nap'.  This schedule can keep her going quite actively throughout the day.  During siesta time, she might even sleep for almost 60-90 minutes, on a good day!  Even her night time sleep is quite regular; she sleeps from 9 to 6 with only one or two feeding breaks in between.  My point is that she is quite set in her pattern.

And she loves the bed!  Even when she awakes, she likes to remain lying...she would rub her cheeks against the pillow....she would coo-coo....and just absorb the warmth of the blanket.  

However, when I came home after work yesterday, baby was cranky!  Due to some mysterious reason, she did not take her siesta.  So, obviously energy reserves were running low.  And what do people do when they feel weak but do not want to appear so?  They over-compensate.  In this case, she would cry, throw tantrums, kick her feet, wave her hands and thereby exhaust herself even more.  I was impressed that she could keep this up till 8 in the evening.  This must have been one of the longest stretches that she remained awake.

It made me think.  She is almost 8 months old....and I can already envision how we parents might have to struggle to get her out of bed in order to go to school on time; how we will have to listen to excuses that the alarm didn't ring; how someone has to stay up in the night to ensure she won't fall asleep while preparing for exams, etc.  Suddenly, it seems so long ago that we ourselves were victims of sleep and had to be supervised by our parents...how time flies.... :)

The Contest

I have friends who are blessed with an over-abundance of good luck.  A certain friend of mine won an X-Box by calling in to a radio show!  Another friend keeps winning trips to Goa.  Yet another friend keeps getting her phones replaced by the service centre even if the problem was software!  One would think that by the rules of association, I should get lucky, too.  

And finally I did.  I won a certain online contest the other day and got myself a prize all the way from Germany to India!  That did it....I got addicted.  For all I know, this lucky streak might not last very long.  So, I am on the constant search for more contest on our world-wide-web.

Yesterday, I came across another one...and coincidence: this one is from Germany, too!  The theme is to submit a photo/video on 'the reason to shower'.  I know, sounds slightly vulgar, but it isn't!  One look at the site convinced me that it was actually fun.

So, what do I have to lose?  I have a camera, a computer and a model to pose for me: Jennifer!  She absolutely loves to shower.  Though she has her own baths in a bathtub, she still eagerly awaits the evenings where I hold her under the shower for a minute or two...she just adores it....there are giggles and laughs reverberating through the bathroom walls throughout!

I got my wife to stand with the camera and lo!  Jenny actually posed.  Instead of giving her attention to the water / shower, she actually posed for the camera.  I immediately posted one of the photos on the website.  So my big surprise, the picture received 17 votes within the first hour!  I did not expect that...strangers voted for something I submitted to a contest!!!


That got me motivated.  Since today morning, I have been updating my messenger, Orkut, Facebook and all possible statuses updated, asking people to vote for the picture and to tell their contacts to do the same. :)  Heights of desperation, I know.  But I am having fun in the whole campaign.  Let's see how it turns out.  I will update my blog with the final result once the contest is complete!  Thanks in advance in participating.  The link to the voting site is http://www.showerreasons.de/de/galerie.html?loadvideo=431&page=

To My Child

This is a forward I received years back per email.  I just came across it again and thought it suited my blog just fine.

• Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying.
• Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.
• Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
• Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.
• Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
• Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.
• Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.
• Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.
• Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.
• Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.
• Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
• Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
• Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.
• Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.
• I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.
• And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day..............
  • 
    

Evolution: Crawl...kneel...stand!

If I look back at the last 7 months of my daughters life, a lot of change has happened.  I mean if one considers that she came into existence, adapted to life outside the womb, got used to food, learned our habits, learned how to make sounds other than screams and cries, turned from back to stomach and the other way around, and recently learned how to crawl....all these are considerable achievements!

However, the kind of growth that we have witnessed during the last two weeks were phenomenal, to say the least!  It is this month that Jenny started crawling (military style).  Over the last weekend, she learned how to use her knees to crawl better.  Now, for any other person, one would think that one achievement over one weekend is more than sufficient...but no: madam has to push herself further!  The day she managed to balance herself on her hands and feet, she immediately tried to pull herself to a standing position.  She seems to have very little interest in moving around on her knees.  As if crawling is for 'lesser beings'!  She has to catch hold of anything that seems capable of holding her weight and pull herself up!  

It is actually quite interesting to watch...from the crawling position, she manages to get into a kneeling position, and remains like that for sometime.  Once she is sure that she is stable there, she again holds on to a steady object and pulls herself up...and that is the fun part to watch.  In Germany, there is a dish called 'Wackelpudding'.  It actually is a pudding made out of jelly.  Once it is placed on a platter, it will keep shaking and shivering (anyone who has seen Ton & Jerry cartoons knows what I mean).  Jenny standing is actually the human depiction of a Wackelpudding.  Once she is on her feet (all the while holding on to something!), she just shakes and totters and moves...she cannot stand still at all.  And she is too excited to do so.  

I wonder how long it will take till she can stand on her own.  Taking into consideration her dedication and spirit to stand before mastering crawling, I guess we will be witnessing some very interesting scenes in the weeks to come, not counting the innumerable falls and bumps she is going to collect. But that's the price she seems willing to pay in order to develop faster.  God bless her! 

Capture the wild beast

Mine has been a dog-family forever.  I cannot remember any time when my family has had less than two dogs in our home in Kerala.  Actually, in Kerala it is not a big deal to have bigger pets like dogs, since almost nobody (at least in the countryside) is restricted by space.

So, we kids grew up with a lot of pets.  There used to be a time when we had chicken, ducks, guinea hens, a goat, 4 dogs, a cat, a monkey and some fish in the pond at home.  People would actually bring their kids over to our house in order to show them the animals.  It used to be fun; hard work, but fun nevertheless.

Now, I am living in the city.  My house is barely big enough (by Kerala standards!) for a family to live comfortably.  Not that it is bad; but having lived in Kerala, the limitations are more striking here.  And it is due to this restriction in space that we are not able to have a dog here...which is a major bummer.  We just love dogs.  Not that we are anti-cat people...not at all...but we are dog-people first!  My wife and I look at people with dogs in the city with envious eyes and keep thinking, "Our time will come."

Last summer, a family moved into the house opposite to ours...and what do we see?  The family has a very cuddly Labrador!  And when I mean cuddly, I mean cuddly.  The dog (Ruby) is quite plum...and very affectionate.  We keep seeing her playing with the members of her family and stuff.  Even I have encountered her a couple of times on the road and have exchanged hands with her. :)

Yesterday was Jennifer's turn.  We had just left our house to go on a walk, when I saw Ruby outside her gate.  I walked towards her and patted her.  Jenny was on my arm.  When I bent down to stroke Ruby's head, Jenny just grabbed the dog's snout with her hands and patted it herself!  I was amazed. Where did this girl get the courage to do so?  Wasn't she afraid to see such a big wild beast in front of her?  Apparently not.  And it also seemed that Ruby was more interested in Jenny than in me, considering how the dog was then trying to jump up and lick Jenny!

It was a beautiful encounter.  Man and beast sharing a fond moment together!  I am happy that Jenny is not scared of dogs.  I cannot wait for us to go to Kerala for a vacation and to see how she responds to more dogs, cats, hens and the like.  Will she be equally curious and easy-going with them or will she be scared?  I am sure it would make an interesting topic to write on some other time.

From a crawl to a squat

A couple of weeks back, my kid started her military crawl...she doesn't yet crawl on all fours yet...she uses her arms to pull herself forward.  I guess yesterday's topic on her strength can be attributed to the fact that has been pulling her whole body weight throughout the house for these weeks now, thereby strengthening her arms.

Towards the middle of last week, she started positioning herself on one hand to raise herself up and to look backwards (I know, it sounds like a yoga posture, but I am at loss how to explain it better!).  It was almost a sitting position.

A couple of day later, she learned how to use legs of her parents to pull herself to a kneeling position...and yes, proper kneeling!  This led to more and more experiments which objects in the house can support her weight for her to pull herself up!  Now, since the past two days, she has managed to push herself (or rather position herself) in such a manner that she ends up sitting.  And she loves doing it...it gives her a sense of accomplishment....a feeling that she can do stuff that we can do, too.  

The next phase in the sage has already started.  She is trying to position herself on her hands and knees now...once this has stabilised, I suppose she will adopt this new and improved style of crawling, which will give her better speeds and manoeuvrability!  Toddlers....you can keep watching them and find them doing something new all the time...it never gets boring. :)

And it's time to rumble!

All good things come in small packages...it's an age-old saying.  No argument with the wisdom behind it.  Even if one ignores the etymology of the statement and just focuses on the world around us, this statement holds true.  Computers have shrunk to become laptops...phones have become cell phones...cars have become compact...television sets have become slimmer...people equate beauty with being slim...and so on.  Small is something people prefer.  And it is not that smaller implies a compromise in performance.  I guess there is no doubt how much faster and efficient things are nowadays (please interpret this sentence in context!).

Therefore, it should not have come as a surprise to me how physically strong Jennifer is.  I mean, she is really strong.  And I am not just saying it.  She is!  We have often wondered where she was getting her strength from.  When she holds on to something, the grip is firm.  When she throws something, it lands across the room.  When she hits the spoon away from her mouth, the food ends up decorating the wall.  When she squirms when being held, you better put her down.  I have seen her rattling solid plastic chairs even before she could crawl.  She could pull herself to her feet even before she could sit....in short: the lady has strong arms!


However, people need signs in order to realise the extend of the truth.  For example, we always hear how people are able to accomplish seemingly impossible feats only by believing in themselves.  However, once we encounter someone who has overcome (for example) a physical handicap in order to achieve something brilliant, we get astounded.  It is much grander when we see things with our own eyes.  I guess that's why people love going for live concerts and matches...the charm is different.

Which brings me to an episode that happened in our household yesterday.  My sister-in-law was sitting on the floor with Jenny in her hands.  Suddenly, Jennifer grabbed aunty's hair with both her hands and wrestled her to the floor.  We heard the commotion in the living room and by the time we reached the room, Jenny was almost sitting on aunty's face in a grand display of victory, making all kinds of 'GAAAAAA' sounds!  It reminded me of Tarzan making his victorious shout after having wrestled with a gorilla!  But on a serious note: I am not kidding.  The kid can wrestle!  And mind you: the legs are still only ornamental. :)


One can only imagine what this kid's future habits will be...Indian Idol?  Top Chef?  WWF wrestler?  Who can say... :)

A case of mistaken Identity

My sister-in-law has blessed us with her presence by having come on a visit.  She is my wife's younger sister but only by a bit.  The interesting part is that both the sisters resemble each other quite closely when it comes to size and figure.  They may not be twins when it comes to faces, but they are similar enough to wear the other's clothes comfortably (a luxury I never shared with my siblings, since both of them are girls!!!).

This is bound to create confusions here and there.  I can remember at least 4 instances over the weekend, when I spoke to my sister-in-law thinking she was my wife, only because she was wearing her dress.  It's very embarrassing...especially when your wife of 41 months is standing there, laughing at the mix-up!  But apparently, I wasn't the only victim here.

Jennifer is quite unique among kids I have seen in recent times with respect to her waking habits.  She wakes up at 5.30 or 6 in the morning and would be wide awake.  No grogginess...no sour mood....just a sweet smile on her face....and lot of stretching on the bed!  Since her aunt was sleeping with her and Anuja yesterday, yours truly had been ousted to sleep in the guest quarters!!!  So, I heard that Jenny was awake by 6 and my wife had gotten up to make coffee.  I went to the bedroom, and there she was up, wrapped up cosily in the arms of her aunt, facing me.  I wished them both a good morning, coochi-coo-ed the baby and left to get ready to leave.

The rest of the story was narrated to me later on and I was unfortunately not an eye-witness.  Anuja (wife) came back to the room after some time.  Jenny (baby) saw her and with a start turned around to see who was holding her (aunt).  Apparently, she had all along been of the impression that it was her mum she was lying with!

If the daughter of my wife, who literally lives with her, eats with her and breathes with her 24/7 can be mistaken, who can blame me!  But I am glad it didn't happen only to me. :)  Let's see what aunty's visit has yet in stock for all of us!

The Queen on her Throne

Couple of blogs ago, I wrote about the herculean task of feeding our kid.  Since then, it has not become any easier...not in the least.  In fact, not only her face and clothes, but our furniture and the clothes of the person feeding her would bear the 'stains of war', i.e. feeding Jenny.

We finally decided that enough was enough.  Having to handle a hyperactive toddler is one thing.  But having to handle the toddler as well as a plate and a spoon and having to run around the house trying to feed the said toddler, only to have her spray the food back at you, because she just figured out that food makes good spitting material....not a pretty sight afterwards...

To cut a long story short, we bought her a chair.  The kind of chair one uses for babies is like this: take an ordinary dining chair.  Put the baby chair on top of it and strap it down!  Next put the baby in the seat and strap her down!  Next fix a tray in front of her onto the chair and voila!  Baby is set for dining!

When Jennifer said in her chair for the first time, she couldn't stop giggling.  She finally was on eye-level with the rest of us.  She could at last see what was on the table.  She could sit on her own without anyone of us having to support her.  

And feeding has become much easier.  Not that it has become less messy...but at least the surroundings are left unblemished!  And she seems to get more food into herself now.  So, all in all, a very convenient addition to the baby stuff at home.  I guess after the pacifier and the rocking seat, this feeding chair comes next to the children-inventions I wouldn't mind promoting.  They have been life-savers!!!

Extreme Sports

I love watching extreme sports.  I am a huge fan.  That doesn't mean I like the kinds that border along the lines of stupidity, where people endanger their lives for pure adrenalin rush.  In my opinion, sports should be about physical fitness, sense of achievement and a spirit of competition, and not merely for getting a 'high'.  For example, I just love parkour.  It is so graceful and so admirable.  Movies like District 13, Casino Royale as well as Prince of Persia only made me love it more.  And I guess that extreme sports should be like this.  They should inspire awe and admiration.  And be based on physical ability.

We have our own extreme sports-woman at home.  I always thought kids would be timid and scared of the unknown. Actually Jenny proves me wrong on both counts.  Jenny sleeps with her parents.  It may not be an ideal arrangement by modern standards but we are doing it like this for the time being.  When we parents get up, and if Jenny is still asleep, we line up pillows along the corner of the bed so that she won't roll over them and fall on the floor.  But once we have gotten up and left the room and once madam opens her eyes and sees the room empty, she goes into silent mode.  She will do her best not to make us aware that she is awake.  Then she starts moving towards the edge of the bed, climbing the wall of pillows and stares into the abyss below, that is the hard floor.  And like any person on the brink of something amazing, she absorbs the challenges and actually takes the plunge!!!  It has been luck and a high level of alertness on our part so far that Jenny hasn't made contact with Terra Firma yet.  But it seems to be only a matter of time.  If she is asleep when we are not, we make trips to the bedroom almost every alternate minute just to ensure she is still asleep...that's how we have foiled her attempts till now!

And this is just the part when she should be sleeping!  The adventures she encounters while crawling and walking are yet to come.  I doubt life will ever be boring or monotonous again...at least not for the time being.

The terror of the night

I don't mean to belittle anyone, but some people are terrified of the night.  I guess fear of something or the other is natural in everyone's life.  I doubt I have seen anyone who has never felt fear.  I agree there are many who learn to face their fears and appear 'fearless' now, but I won't believe for a minute that they were born this way.

And I suppose the most universal fear is the fear of 'monsters' under the bed or the fear of the dark.  Though Pixar has dealt with this topic in a humorous manner, it is still a matter of concern for many.  I have seen many people unable to sleep without some light in the room.  I have seen people unwilling to sleep alone in their rooms.  I have seen people reluctant to take a walk once it got dark.  And even if psychology calls these fears irrational, it is real.  People experience it in their daily lives.

Coming back to the theme of 'bedroom monsters', reason tells us that there is no such things as monsters or scary beings in the bedroom.  But once the lights are off, and the house is quiet, every shadow, every sound and even too much of quiet brings the imagination to life.  Shadows do not seem to be what they actually are...sounds seem to be louder than they should be...and so on.  And the worst thing that could happen once imagination runs wild is if someone suddenly enters the room!

Where am I going with this?  My small family has its own terror of the night.  And it is not hiding under the bed; it resides on top of it.  Two days ago when I was blissfully awake, I felt someone tugging my scapular (something I wear around my neck) and chocking me!  The night before, my wife felt someone pulling her hair and grabbing her nose in the middle of the night.  And these are just two instances of a phenomenon that is happening almost on a daily basis now.

I am not writing a script for the next Paranormal movie here.  It is our dear daughter who is behind all this.  She has gotten into the habit of waking up in the middle of the night.  And once she is awake, she just pulls herself to a sitting positions and goes to work...without making a sound!  Last night, she almost managed to climb over our legs and fall from the bed!  Not that she succeeded, but that doesn't stop her from trying.  And all this last only for half hour or less...then she automatically goes back to sleep.  All this without making a sound.  And no, she is not asleep while she does all this!

It is amazing how not a day goes by without something new happening...without Jenny finding a new way to keep herself occupied.  Hats off to kids; their imagination and innovation knows no bounds.  And we parents are relishing everything that she does. How did we live before having the kid? :)

Someone found her voice...

I realise it has been a couple of days since I have blogged...it's just that things were slightly more hectic than usual, and I couldn't find the right rhythm to sit down and pen something.  Today seems to be relatively calm again so that I can write something about Jennifer again.

Music has a special hold over people.  In my limited knowledge, I guess most cultures always have and still do appreciate music in one way or the other.  Music seems to have evolved along with humankind.  And it is very specific, too.  What appeals to one person or one people does not necessarily (and usually doesn't) appeal to others.  And it is not only listening that is universal; people love singing, too.  I know not everyone will agree, but I am almost sure that no person on the planet has ever lived his/her life without at least humming or whistling.  People sing openly or when they are alone or they sing along, others hum, others whistle, others play instruments, others tap their feet, others dance, still others just clap...but everyone can show the influence of music in their lives.  And to my big surprise, age isn't a factor either.

My li'l girl rocks her feet, keeps 'count' with her hand on the table and moves her full body when music is playing in the house.  We have music in our place almost the entire day....from the moment everyone is awake, till the first ones of us go to bed, music almost plays constantly in our household.  And it is not any particular genre either...we have Bach to Yanni, Britney Spears to Rammstein, soundtracks to techno and so on playing on eternal shuffle.  My child gets to hear plenty...and I am sure listening to music and appreciating it is always a good habit.  For example, you should see her face light up when I start whistling!  She just loves it.

But that is not all....there is more.  There is a place of magic in everyone's home.  Whoever you are, talented or not, young or old, man or woman...once you enter this room, you will be transformed.  There is no choice; the magic affects all.  Which room is this?  The bathroom!!!

I don't know what the reason is, but I am sure almost everyone starts singing or humming while they take a shower...or when they are in the bathroom.  It is almost a universal principle.  My personal opinion is that the acoustics sound better since the room is smaller and echo exists.  Everyone's sound sounds better there...though not necessarily to people outside!

My daughter is no different.  The moment she enters the bathroom, her vocal cords let go!  She starts ooo-ing and aaa-ing and god knows how to write the other sounds!  And that at the top of her voice, though with a slight bass to it. :)  I mean it is not shrieking; it still sounds as if she is in control of her voice.  And she can keep it up as long as she is in the room.  It truly is amazing.  I mean by now, I am sure our neighbours know how to identify if it is bathing time for Jenny Baby.  It is so much fun to see the immediate transformation of a relatively quiet child into someone who could be the next Indian Idol Junior!  I am just kidding, of course.  I am just happy to see my child growing up happily and healthy; and I am trying to be as nurturing as possible for her to reach her potential. Be it as a singer or not!!!

I wonder how...

I don't know how she does it, 

• but when daughter sees us getting ready to take her snap, she smiles.
• but when we ask her for a kiss, she puts her lips to our cheeks.
• but when we talk about her (even indirectly), she looks up.
• but when we talk about the funny things she does, she smiles.
• but when we take out anything edible, she looks and salivates.
• but when she sees my slippers, she knows they are not to be put into the mouth!!! (clever girl!)
• but when she sees the pen-drive plugged in, that she has to pull it out and not wiggle it back and forth.
• but when she holds a doll, she talks to it.
• but when advertisements come on TV, she watches those instead of the program.

I don't know how she does it.  But she does it anyways, and it amazes us no end.  :).  Yet another one of life's mysteries courtesy Jennifer!