Problem Child

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:50:00 +0000

Puja goes back to work today. The mood at home is quite grim. She is as stressed as she can be.
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However, last evening was beautiful. I was looking at the two daughters -- one busy with pretend play and the other busy bobbing her head in Puja's lap -- and I was thinking that these certainly are the best days of our lives. I know it is hard to acknowledge the fact and so much seems to be msising but still I don't know what else will top this.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Akshra slept over at Ravindra's place this Saturday. Of course she was a doll and gave them no grief. I guess she reserves the love for us. And we managed to devour two more episodes of our latest addiction - "24"

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:26:00 +0000

We got Akshra her first Christmas tree today. She was so incredibly excited about the tree and more so for the ornaments that we put on it. She was so happy but also as she generally gets during times of over excitement: out-of-control. Such a troubled child she is. So much energy, so much fun and yet so difficult to deal with. We love her dearly but after a full day with her and even with help around we are not sure we are up for it. Puja and I have not been keeping up either so that has been an issue as well but we probably could not deal with her even if we were well.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Oh, we are so taken with the younger one. She is just so adorable. Her little hands, tiny feet and chubby thighs. She is just so perfect. She smells heavenly and makes these faces. She smiles and coos and plays with us. It is a perfect world.

I don't think we ever derived so much out of Akshra when she was so young. I mean we were crazy about her but the knowledge that we will lose these moments we have as we did with Akshra who is now big and has a mind of her own make us understand how much more important and fleeting these moments with Aroma are.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:36:00 +0000

We braved a trip to Woodberry Commons shopping outlet yesterday with Aroma. I took a day off and Akshra was to go to day-care so it seemed like a good opportunity to do some year-end, thanksgiving shopping.

It was a very good trip and it would have been even better had it not been for the adventure at the end when the roads were completely choked and it took us almost two hours to get back home. Normally the trip would take no more than an hour and fifteen minutes. Aroma was getting cranky in the car seat at the back but our real terror was not being able to pick Akshra up from day care on time. Bobby is out as well so we didn't really have a known backup. Finally Tulika managed to pick her up from her way back home from work and it all ended well. Akshra was not as mad as we'd thought. She ate pasta and watched the usual Hanuman and things were ok.

Overall a fun, adventurous trip.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:48:00 +0000

Akshra insists that she be called Khaniya Didi these days. We are not quit sure what Khaniya means. It seems she might have caught it from one of the shows on Zee TV that watched with here Naani where a character was called Dhaniya and she heard it as Khaniya.

Oh, whatever, it is another one of those things that amaze you and make you love your children so much more.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:53:00 +0000

Akshra is struggling with her jet lag after the India trip. Yesterday at around 8 pm she suddenly says -- I want to sleep, I am so tired...

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:35:00 +0000

This weekend has been so incredibly difficult that I cannot wait to go to work tomorrow and I shudder to even think about the days to come with two kids. Everyone said that it was going to be exponentially difficult with two kids: not twice the work but almost five times. For us it is merely dealing Akshra that is about twice the work. She is so incredibly difficult. Everything from food to bath to dressing to going to the bathroom. Everything is a major battle, a struggle. Every moment is frustrating and I suddenly have myself with absolutely no patience to deal with her. The young one is gassy and cannot sleep and hence is also a big problem right now.

And I am going alone with Akshra to India for two weeks. Wow! I must be crazy.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:33:00 +0000

It was Aroma's first Diwali yesterday. The poor thing still suffers and cries. We had a lot of fun but both kids were somewhat difficult. The elder one just because she can and the younger one isn't quite sure of how this thing outside the womb works.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Two weeks completed today. Aroma is two weeks old. She's been home for about 12 days now. Akshra has become so difficult that Puja finally had to cancel her plans of going to India. She is now going to stay put and her mom is going to back in January and leave now in November first week.

It isn't clear whether Akshra's issues are with Aroma, though to some extent they probably are. It is more like she just doesn't know how to control her thoughts, her energy and takes it out on us in tangential ways. It is so very difficult. She is sharp as a knife and cuts just as much.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:56:00 +0000

Akshra left home around 5 to go play upstairs in the common area of the building. It is cold today or she would've gone out. The apartment went quite. But only for a few minutes. There suddenly was the sharp crying of a very young child. Very very young, indeed. Only about 3 days old. That was Akshra's new young sister Aroma and I had almost forgotten that she came home today. We have two daughters now - Akshra and Aroma.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Our second daughter Aroma was born just about two hours ago at 8:48 am after a long and difficult labor following a long and difficult pregnancy. The important thing is that both the baby and Puja are doing well. Aroma looks adorable. Very tiny but a copy of her elder sister Akshra!

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:52:00 +0000

The due date has come and gone and nothing yet. Puja has not really felt any contractions. She likes to keep her babies inside. We have a Dr. appointment today so maybe we will now have to pick a date for induction.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Last week Akshra moved to her next class at her day care. She moved to the 'Bears' from the 'Penguins'.

We ceased on the opportunity to try to introduce new rules in her life. We told her that in this class she must eat without watching TV and she can watch TV only after she has finished her meal. Strangely enough that seemed to satisfy her sense of reason and that's what we've been trying to do. She seems to be ok with it in principal but we are struggling feeding her these days. Hopefully it will get better over time.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:24:00 +0000

How naughty can a girl child be? We are realizing that the answer to that is: very!

Akshra is such a riot these days! Oh, my God! She can pretty much drive us insane. She is very very naughty -- mostly having a ton of fun all the time. Jumping, running, screaming and doing everything that we never expected her to do. We blame it on the day care but who really knows. She still insists on not eating and day after day successfully skips at least one or her meals.

Yesterday night we were at Sheru's and she and Yash practically screamed the house down. Though Yash is even naughtier and tries to beat up Akshra all the time, they do happen to get along well in their own weird way. Akshra takes care of him in the classroom as they go to the same day care and Yash just runs behind her in the class but as soon as he is out he tries to take the upper hand and generally succeeds.

On the 2nd front things are rather depressing. Puja is so lethargic and tired that she is having a terrible time at this. Moreover, she managed to hurt her arm really bad at a baby store yesterday. The last thing she needed. She gets no relief. She can barely even sleep. God help her.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Another sonogram last night and another confirmation that we are indeed having a girl!

Puja was so hopeful when she answer 'Do you know what you are having?' with an anxious question -- 'Girl, right??' and the technician nodded in affirmation.

We know we are having a girl. We've always known we were having a girl and it doesn't really upset me personally. I am a bummed about my poor mom and Neeraj bhai. I know they wanted a boy so badly.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:01:00 +0000

It is the small things that simply blow your mind.

Last night I was watching the 3rd Season Premier of 'Mad Men' and it was about 10:30. Akshra was in her room with her nanny and her masi. She slowly slipped away from there and came to me. I asked her lovingly to sit next to me on the big grandfather rocker and she obliged. She slowly put her wearly, sleepy heard on my belly and before I knew it fell asleep. I patted her head with my hand for a while and finally asked Puja to take her and put her on the bed.

It is these small things that make you understand the power of children, the power of their gentle presence and the power of their touch that can simply turn your heart into mush.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:44:00 +0000

We are just a few weeks away from another life in our life. Puja is just about to spit the baby out any moment. She has just about had it and who can blame her? She is big and in pain and all the stress of work and home is just about killing her.

Akshra is getting naughtier by the day.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:17:00 +0000

Akshra goes to school all four days starting yesterday :-(

There has to be something lost in that I reckon. Though everytime I have gone and visited her in school I've found her having a lot of fun so I guess it is OK. However, in a way this sets her up for a life full of daily commitments and the daily drudgery. Maybe she can escape from it one day.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:00 +0000

So Puja mom has arrived on Wednesday. Akshra took to her like she had been here all along and that Akshra had never been away from her. It is great to see her so comfortable. It really frees us up both mentally and physically.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Poor Akshra has some kind of a stomach virus for the last couple days and has been sick and hasn't eaten practically anything for two days now.

The first day we tried to force milk down her throat and she resisted and we ignored her and eventually she threw up :-(. It was so strange because she has almost never thrown up in the past so we just didn't expect it. We should've just listened to our child and trusted her more.

She seemed a little better yesterday but she still did not eat. We did not force her into anything yesterday and she slept quite well.

Hopefully she has a better day today.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:50:00 +0000

Went to Anya's party at a farm in Jersey. It was a long day but there was a lot to do there for the kids and Akshra had a lot of fun. She did a little bit of moon bounce, a short pony ride and played in a corn and even got to feed carrots to goats and donkeys. Akshra of course did not eat anything and did not get any sleep either.

However, the real fun started on our way back -- or actually when we got back home. We stopped at a mall to do some shopping and Akshra was OK though starting to get cranky from the fatigue and hunger. She would of course not eat anything we were giving to her.

We came back home around 5pm and Akshra started a real meltdown. These are becoming fairly frequent and actually happening more quickly but this was probably one of the biggest ones we have seen so far. She did not want to eat, did not want to sleep and so on and so forth. Wailed and cried and made such hell that Puja and I basically did not know what to do. This lasted until about 8pm. For three hours she kept us hostage to her terrible mood after which she started getting somewhat mellowed down because she was probably getting sleepy.

She slept at around 9:30 and so did I. She woke up around 2am and I took her to the bathroom and then I couldn't sleep properly after that and then at 4:30 I woke up to check on her and sure as hell she had wet the bed again -- probably for the 7th night in a row. I don't what we are trying to prove by making her go to bed without a diaper. She is clearly not trained and cannot tell in her sleep that she has to go. It is just another factor in the overall difficulty of raising her.

And in 6 weeks we will double our burden. Awesome!

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:26:00 +0000

Just drank my cup of milk and as I got to the bottom I realized it has a quarter in it. Not sure who put it there but I have a theory.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:39:00 +0000

Woke Akshu up from deep slumber at 4:30 in the morning to take her to the bathroom. Poor thing. However, she did her business even when in deep sleep. She can be a doll sometimes :-)

We are on day 4 of our diaper-free nights and has been working fine so far.

noreply@blogger.com (Anurag) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:49:00 +0000

Poor Akshu. We put her without a diaper for the first time last night. She woke me up at 2:30 and I was supposed to take her to the bathroom but I forgot and she went big on the bed :-(