Shifted to a new home, moved to greater heights, literally.

We shifted to a new house on 2^nd November, 2014. Sunday. That is, from ground floor to first floor. Same house, same address, same house-owner. So, not a big deal. However, moving all the stuff, from salt to camphor (uppu tottu karpooram vare ;-D), up the narrow stairs was a bit tedious. Dearest hubby helped with the heavy objects and left for a doctor’s meeting in the morning. And a deadly combination of Mummy, Sid, and me were left to do the rest of the shifting. I could hear a sigh from my thigh muscles at the end of the day. All done and settled now.

Moving shelter means change. Some good and some bad. But I welcome all now. The old house was a 1.5 BHK. (1.5 coz one of the rooms was not eligible enough to be called as a bedroom). It was a perfect haven when I first moved in to that house as a just-married-couple. Private, closed, and comfortable. But after having a kid, the same place lacked air, light, and space. However, here are some things that will always be in my memories about my first rented house after marriage:

• This was the first house that was rented in my name. During our stay here, this house has seen me the most; more than my hubby, son, and mother.
• My son was conceived here. Need I say more? ;)
• Sid has spent most of his time in this house till now. There was this place between kitchen and bedroom where I used to place him on a mat with his toys when he had just started to sit on his own. He could see both his parents --- me working in the kitchen and his dad working on the computer in the bedroom. He would play endlessly at this particular place.
• It’s never too hot in the summer and never too cold in the winter. I still wonder how and why.

The new house in the first floor is a spacious 2BHK where one bedroom (ours, of course) is in the 2^nd floor alongside the terrace. A big hall welcomes us with an area enough for Sid to play football. A small but cupboard-filled-kitchen. A much-need private bedroom, and a much-more-needed attached bathroom for my hubby. <No grinning pls>. A beautiful terrace for bright evenings. A work area with a small balcony that views a lush green forest with a variety of chirping birds, and some crazy monkeys. Yes. The house is opposite to the army area which was not visible from ground floor due to a high fence wall. Sid’s quite scared of owls. So, to force him to sleep these days, the owl comes hooting from this forest at night. And during the day, the owl hides inside one of those trees; quite ready to come on call. :D

Here’s a snap capturing the sight from that highlighted balcony:

How all I call my Sid!

Each parent has this cute way of calling their kids with weird names. When I used to hear my sister calling her son with a variety of trademarked funny names, I used to wonder if motherhood has taken its toll on my sister! Obviously, I was not a mom then. And, now I know how much love lies in all those stupid names. 

I too call Sid with different names (it's in the genes, I guess). Shornakatta, muttukatta, muttumani, etc are quite common among all of us malayalees. But some of Sid's names are really funny. Taking a note of all such names for future reference. Each time I call him with a new name, I see a delight in Sid's face. And not-to-mention a sly smile. However, I am sure he is going to melt down with embarrassment when he grows up and reads all this. ;)

Kunji vava / Kunjoos - This is what I started with since we didn't decide his name for first three weeks of his life.
Unnikuttan / Unni - His nick name. The most usual one as of now. Why I chose this is because "unni" was my dad's nick name. :) And unnikuttan, my cousin, was the first kid I ever looked after. I now call him senior unnikuttan. 
Tungloosh/ Tungloosh mani - No idea where I got it from. I was sooo hooked on to calling this name. And though Sid was too small at that time, he knew this word is coming from me and me only.
Kroosh / Unnikroosh - This one came from his dad. Again, don't remember how he got it.
Popcorn - This one too from dad, when he became a toddler. This was to signify the similarity between my son and a popcorn popping out of the vessel. 
Tishku / Tushki - Again, I have no idea where I got it from. I know it sounds too funny.
Tikku / Tukki - Just a babyish version of the previous one. But this one also lasted a while.
Pori / Poriyan / Porikuttan - Courtesy: Dad. Dad soon changed from popcorn to pori. Pori is actually the puffed rice translation in Malayalam. This name came soon after he started more than just popping but moving all around. "Porichil" in Malayalam, you know.
Chakkudu / Kukkudu - Chakkudu is a common name for pampering. But kukkudu, :) well. I once read him a story from one of his baby magazines - Kukkudu autorikshaw. So I actually started calling him "kukkudu autorickshaw".

I am sure Sid is going to be nomenclatured a lot more. Will surely update this list as time passes... :)

Addition: 3/3/2015: 
Unnanu/unnani - Named by Vallyamma (my elder sister). Whole story about this name here. Simply love the way she calls it.

My Goa tales

What I found in Goa and what I found out about Goa:

1. Goa is completely an Indian state. No ifs and buts. Though my brain knew it earlier, but somehow my mind always put Goa in a different category among the rest of the states in India. I found common Indian people there working day in and day out. Yes, we get to see a lot of tourists from foreign countries because of the beaches and the tourism department.
2. Goa is best seen in a two-wheeler. We rented a Honda-Activa for a day and a half and traveled almost across the state. The narrow yet clean roads, the picturesque coastal roads, the daily life of the inhabitants, and the not-so-daily life of all the tourists --- all these can be best witnessed in a two-wheeler drive. That’s what even foreigners do.
3. Goa beaches embrace you. Really. You feel loved inside it. You can wade deep into the Arabian Sea if you are in Goa. Thanks to the shallow coasts Goa is proud of.
4. Goa has more than just beaches. Although every tourist place is related to a water body, Goa promises you different experiences too. Not just getting wet in the beaches.
5. You get confused between river and beaches. Goa has Mandovi river in the heart of Panajim city that meets the Arabian sea somewhere. It makes it really difficult to differentiate between the two.
6. Alcohol also flows like river in Goa. It is so damn cheap there. Another thing you get confused about.
7. Tidal forests. Believe me (how much ever stupid it may sound), I didn’t know what tidal forests are until I visited Goa. A forest submerged inside a river. Although it looks spooky at times, I loved the view. You find a lot of such tidal forests in Goa, like in every nook and corner.
8. The minimum charge in an auto-rickshaw is Rs. 60. Not officially though. We boarded an auto-rickshaw to a near-by place where the hotel guy said it would cost Rs. 30 or so. As a reply to that, the auto-rickshaw driver said, “I can also say you can get a hotel room in Rs. 500. Will the hotel guy agree?” We sat there silent and speechless.
9. Ferry. They do exist. Free of cost in Goa.

I want to poop….

May 18^th, 2014. It was my cousin’s wedding at Guruvayur. I had been excited about it from quite a while. All the cousins’ reunion, getting to see all the aunties and uncles. Just love it. But it was the first time that I was attending a cousin’s marriage as a toddler’s mother. With my Sid. That too, without my husband. Sigh. For all those who had been in Kerala during summer can imagine how hot it was. To top it, I wore a silk kasavu (zari) saree and some jewelry.

So, the marriage got over in Guruvayoor. I got one small glance of the bride in that crowd. We headed to Thrissur town for lunch and reception. My younger cousins took care of Sid for some time. (By the way, taking care means running behind him.) Then came the lunch. I finished my sadya (a Kerala lunch) in exactly 5 minutes. That’s way too fast for me. I caught my all-sweaty Sid, placed him on my lap before the lunch table, and tried to feed him. The first time, he refused. As usual. The second time, I scolded him and force-fed him, and he threw up. Yes. He vomited. There goes my silk saree. I rushed to the wash area, cleaned him. I then rushed to the wash room to change my dress to a simple and oh-so-comfortable kurta. We left the wedding hall and headed towards the Thrissur bus stand. There was no point trying to feed him again. So I bought an Amul milk shake since he was dehydrated and I knew he would be hungry soon.

We boarded a KSRTC bus to Calicut. And he drank the drink all yummily. Here starts the incident.

After an hour or so through the journey, Sid said, “Amma, I want to poop.”

I tried to postpone, “Is it ok if we reach home and poop? We will reach sooner.”

He usually says ok for such a request if it is really a bad situation. However, this time he was insisting, “No amma, I really want to poop.”

I said, “It’s ok. You can poop. I have worn you a diaper, so you can poop. We can clean it later.”

He said, “No. I want to poop.” (As in, in a conventional manner). Gradually, he became louder and started crying, “I want to poop. I want to poop.”

Before I could go to the driver asking him to stop, the people in the bus noticed us and as they all know Malayalam, they went to the driver and asked to stop the bus. The driver pulled over right away. I, holding him, hopped outside the bus (thank God it was a deserted place), undressed his diaper and trouser, and held him so that he can poop. Aahhh, such a relaxing expression he had. My mom helped me wash him as two boys from the bus supplied us some bottled water that they had carried in the bus. We all boarded the bus again and resumed the journey. Sid drifted off to sleep. Peacefully. However, what didn’t drift off was the co-passengers’ giggles and comments. Especially those two boys. The next time the bus stopped, they were asking who wants to poop next. I sat there silently with an embarrassing yet a motherly smile on my face. Did I over potty-train my baby? He was just not comfortable with the diaper. Therefore, I curse those boys (a sweet curse since they actually helped me with some water), “Their kids will also want to potty in a bus journey. And that the kid doesn’t tell his parents.”

Sid's elephant-mania (aana-bhraandu)

I would like to announce my little zoologist's extreme passion towards a giant but soft-hearted species called the 'elephant'. Really, my son, Siddhanth's affection towards the elephants tempted me to write this up.

So it all started with the-elephant-and-the-tailor story which I told him one fine day, along with some actions and gestures, of course. My kid absorbed it so much that he soon started imitating the way the elephant drinks and sprinkles water. Soon after, he discovered (and keeps on replaying) how this dearest animal eats, takes bath, sleeps, walks, stands, sits, shits, and the list goes on. I have jotted down some points that prove how much he loves elephants and which are more than enough to embarrass him when he grows up:

* His loud, noisy, and long trumpet. Peaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaemmmm.... All the neighbors, thus know that we have an elephant-fan here. He even raises one of his legs (which is parallel to an elephant's trunk) alongside. At this rate, I am afraid an elephant allomother might come to my home and claim my boy to be hers. Moreover, Sid will more than happy to accompany her to a jungle.
* He currently has 5 elephant toys (and will be happy to have more), which should be around him almost always. Other kids' elephant toys are also welcome. He has even slept with some of them. Usually, he holds one of his elephant toys facing towards him, rolls them upwards as to signify that the elephant is blowing a trumpet. And as usual, the background sound will be his. He has even curled up one of the toy's trunk upwards --- aana chinnam vichu... He takes good care of his elephant toys --- for example, he feeds them - both food and water, he gives them a bath, he puts them to sleep, etc etc etc.
* Whenever I sit to stitch something, he comes with his elephant toys. And then, I should poke the elephant's trunk with the needle just like how the tailor had poked the elephant in the story. "aana umbikai shooji utti"... (aana tumbikaiyil sooji kutti).
* That day he was sitting on one of his elephant toys. I told him that toy elephants break when we sit on them and that we will go to Mysore and get an elephant ride. From that moment onwards, he is waiting to go to Mysore --- "pashur poittu shish cheyam" (Mysore poyittu sit cheiyaam).
* His favorite God - none other than the elephant-headed Ganesha.
* The conventional horse-riding relationship between a kid and his grand-parents has automatically transformed to an elephant-and-mahout (aana-paapan) ride in his case. He even gives a BGM - dham dham dham <sound of an elephant walking>. The one giving him the ride, mostly his ammamma, should occasionally blow a trumpet. If not, the little mahout himself will fulfill this requirement.
* His majesty wants to watch exclusive elephant songs. I have compiled around 15 elephant videos (English, Malayalam, and Tamil) to a single one. Leave songs, he even remembers the series as to which song comes after a particular one. We have developed quite a few elephant stories also. So each time he sits for a natural call, I am to cite either a song or a story. "aana paatu menam; aana tha menam" (ka is silent in katha).
* I have a cartoon movie called "Dinkan" where the mouse is a hero and one of the villains is elephant. He takes the villain's side, of course.
* That day he deliberately tangled the strap of his drums (chenda) in one of his legs and was pretending to be walking with great difficulty. When asked what happened, the little dramabaaz informed that the mahout has tied him with a chain just like how he saw in one of his elephant songs. "aana kaal tangala ittu" (aanende kaalil changala ittu).
* Out of his building blocks, all he wants to make is an elephant. So, it's me who ends up creating one for him. These days, I should also keep drawing a picture of elephant for him; along with a mahout, sometimes. I will either become a great artist or will forget drawing.

Hope Sid amused you with his elephant fondness!!! Hi-five to all the cute kids who love elephants.