Akshra's sleeping habits are just terrible. She wakes up after 3am unless there is pin-drop silence and sometimes even when there is pin-drop silence. This is just killing us. Well, killing Puja more than it is killing me. The poor thing (Puja) is preparing for her race and she just cannot get any rest because the child just refuses to sleep. I can hear her cry now and it is barely 5.30 am.

Funniest thing happened yesterday. I was playing songs for Akshu on her demand one after the other but she seemed to be changing her mind a bit too often. So I told her that I am not changing the track anymore. After a little while she starting fidgeting with my mouse that is on my desk and she was on tip-toes and finally she somehow managed to click her way through changing the track that was playing. So, she goes -- "Doosra Gana Sunaya" [played/heard another song] -- and I just burst out laughing. She is so smart.

Summer is here and boy have we had fun the last few evenings! I come home early these days in the evening -- just before 6pm and we take Akshra out near the elephants and by the river and in the town square. We take photos, we see her run behind dogs and we see her wave a big 'Hi' to strangers and babies. She is just a happy, talkative, energized kid. It is such a joy. I just love summers.

Yesterday she went completely batty when she saw sprinklers in the town square and realized how she could get a fine shower if she went close to them and how she could run away as the sprinklers started to move toward her. It was an amazing site!

We went to Richa and Manish's place last weekend. Akshra charmed them out of their wits. She gave them a full show of everything she speaks and they could not even believe it. They were amazed at how much she talked and they were amazed that how much Hindi she spoke. This girl is a charmer, I tell you.

So Uma and parents were over yesterday. Akshra for some reason was scared and clingy for no apparent reason. She was acting like we've never seen her before. Who knows what goes on in their little heads. This is the third time we met with them (Uma's parents) and every time the two girls have behaved very differently. Either ignoring each other or fighting gently or being nice to each other. It is all very strange.

Also, one realizes that every parent sort of goes through the same stages of admiration and frustration and yet each experience is singularly unique.

So now that Akshu drinks from a straw cup, she goes 'piya' after she takes a sip to acknowledge that she's had milk and shakes her head just to give effect. It is just amazing to watch.

She is also telling almost entire stories from Amar Chitra Katha now. Ek bar kya hua ek hathi tha... she goes.

Yet another tough night. This being probably the toughest. Akshra without her milk is finding really hard to sleep properly through the night. She is barely eating anything and it is too hungry.

Another very difficult night. Akshra completely refused to take milk from the straw-cup and hence struggled to fall asleep and then struggled to stay asleep waking up several times and then early in the morning. She is completely refusing to take milk right now. Hopefully this will improve in a week or so as they say.