Tic tic tic..ting!

That's the sound of my new OTG ringing to tell me that the pre-heating is done! :-D Oh yes, I now have a new hobby - baking! With Sid occupying my every thought, I needed a diversion. Not that I mind having him fill my entire world, but I started to worry about him to an annoying level - annoying, that is, to others.! :) So I started to think what I could do with the 'spare' time I had. I narrowed down to 2 options - gardening and baking. Ultimately, baking won as I don't think I could do due justice to pots and plants.

So I bought a small Oven-toaster-griller and started my experiments with cookie baking. First, I tried the benne biscuit. FIL and Josh were reluctant guinea pigs. :) Got some positive feedback too. The taste of ghee was overwhelming and I decided never to use it again, instead, should try out recipes using butter/oil.

Fresh out of the oven!

Then I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and decided on making masala crackers. (Took the recipe from here.There are some very nice recipes in that site, take a look if you are interested) I replaced the sesame seeds in the recipe with cumin seeds though. They came out nice, to my great surprise! :) It tasted almost like nippattu and they were an instant hit! :-D

Crackers!

So taking some courage, I again tried my hands at sweet cookies. This time I tried almond cookies (recipe from Manjula's kitchen - google it) as this recipe used wheat and not maida.

I did hit problems with the temperature and heat control, as there were 2 heating elements, one up and one down, and no recipe mentions what level they need to be. WIth both elements turned on, the bottom of the cookie turned black, where as the top didn't even cook.! So Josh suggested I reduce the temperature (from 180C as mentioned in the recipe to 150C) and chose only the top heating element.This worked like a charm! The cookies baked perfectly in 10 minutes and it was such a relief! :)

Now, I need to try out other recipes, and will def keep this blog posted, success or not!! But that can happen only when Sid is sleeping or playing with his grandparents/father, which gives me roughly 1.5-2 hrs in all!!! That is also the main reason I just have lousy photos taken from my phone.

And now its back to Sid. Cheerio!

Jhoom barabar jhoom!!

About the kiddo, what else!

It just feels like yesterday when I logged out of my office nw completing the few remaining tasks at hand, gearing up to go through childbirth. And now, nearly 4 months have passed and I look back in wonder. Wow! Where did all the time go?

All I remember is feeding the kid, putting him to sleep, changing his nappy and feeding him again, starting the cycle all over! And pulling my mom out of her daily chores, a hundred times a day. "Amma, why is he sleeping so much? Why is he NOT sleeping? Why is his poop like that? (really!!!) He just sneezed! He just vomited, is it normal? He looks like he is catching a cold. He feels warm doesn't he?" And then volley the same questions to my sister as soon as she is back from work!
Phew! Never ending volley of questions and never satisfied at the answers I get! But then what's the internet for? :-) To this, my annoyed mom reacts - 'Internet mele oddhiddhu jaasthi aaythu!! Bere kelsa ilva ninge'. :-)

How can I not write about the sleepless nights that my baby gave us! We struggled a lot in the second month, when his sleeping pattern was so hopeless!! It is only from the third month, that it became normal (sleeping through the night, that is) and there is a feeling of some method in the madness!! All this effort seems exhausting, but vanishes the instant the kiddo gives a big smile when he sees me or responds to my voice with his 'ooh's. Feels so rewarding!

The rate at which he is growing is alarming. He now rolls over and lifts his head to look around when is he is lying on his tummy. He reaches out and grabs toys put in front of him. All this in a matter of a week!! Every day we discover something new about him.

It feels as if I will miss out on things if I am not with him every single minute he is awake!! Now that I have to start working in a week or so, I wonder how I will find the time or inclination to do so? This is the real work-life balance that I must strive to achieve. It will not be easy, but hopefully not extremely difficult!

good or bad??

"Remember nobody is good or bad. They are either strong or weak. Strong people stick to their morals, no matter what the trials and tribulations. Weak people, many a times, do not even realise how low they have fallen. "
Excerpt from Amish's "The secret of the nagas".
Nice take on good and evil. In fact the whole book contemplates a lot in this direction. Add to this a good plot and a nice mix of mythology and fiction, makes it a good reading. Compared to the first book of this trilogy, the language is also so much better with reduced usage of slangs!!
Am yet to finish reading it, but I am already waiting for the last book.!

Similarities

So I watch this daily soap on Sony called 'Bade Acche Lagte hain' which has the Ekta Kapoor stamp all over it. It has Ram Kapoor as the lead protagonist, and so, since I liked him once upon a time, I watch it every afternoon.

Today, while watching the serial, mom suddenly says 'Your kid looks like Ram Kapoor!' :-|
I console myself thinking that it is because of the round fat face, that she thinks so. As if reading my mind, she quickly justifies. 'He always has a single sulky expression on his face!' :-| :-|

Mind your language

(From the TV show - Castle)
Beckett: Against who?
Castle: (corrects her) whom?

Hmm..I know someone who does that too! ;-)

Rattle tale!

Milestone

No, this is not with reference to my phone (Motorola Milestone), which btw, is still with Josh!
Today marks 2 important milestones. First, my kid (still can't believe am a mommy now!) is 1 month old today. Second, my second nephew starts pre-school today!

The nephew did cry 'amma beku' as opposed to the first nephew (skanda) shouting 'ajji beku' on his first day at pre-school! ;-) He is all happy now at home telling everyone that he went to 'thkool'.!

My little lad is comfortably dozing off in his cradle, while I write this. A background score of 'comfortably numb' is playing repeatedly in my cellphone! He, as discovered by Josh, has taken a liking to this song and treats it like a lullaby! :-)
The only disappointment, I can't sing or play the song - 'Meri ghar aayi ek nanhi pari'!!

It's been a month today since I delivered a baby boy! It just seems like yesterday, when I was having contractions and to divert my mind, was watching 1920 (the 'horror' movie by Vikram Bhat) in the delivery room of Columbia Asia referral hospital! Utter nonsense the movie was. I also watched the 2 IPL matches happening that day, although I have no idea who were playing and who won! In fact, when the kid arrived, the TV was still on and the match was just about to end, I think!

The first response family and friends had was the same - 'yet another boy!'. My sis has 2 boys and Josh's sis has 1 you see! Everyone madly hoped to add a girl to the family. Well, what can you do, chromosomes and all that! :-D

After a lot of searching, we decided to name the little one Siddhant. (meaning principles or moral) All I can say is 'Is naam ka lihaaz rakna beTa'!!

The going has been pretty fine so far, apart from the rashes and colic that the kid had/has. Am being constantly reassured that it is normal and that I shouldn't worry. But hey, its my first time being a mom and being responsible for another human being, a tiny one at that! Just need some time, me thinks!

and more pics

Can't resist posting more of the beautiful flowers blooming in front of my house! Work from home feels good with this display outside my window :-) The other tree, next to this one, has started sprouting pink flowers too!

Summer and its beauty

Summer arriveth at full force!! The heat is already unbearable. So what beauty am I talking about?

It's the flowers that are in full bloom everywhere. At least in most places across Bangalore. The lovely lilac jacarandas, the light pink and yellow tabebuias, the yellow copper pod tree flowers, the dreamy rain tree flowers, to name a few, make Bangalore roads look very pretty! Do make an effort to just look around while you are outside and admire these flowers. :) Soon to come (already seen in some places) are the lovely May flowers, my fav!

Meanwhile, the tree in front of my house is in full bloom with purple flowers. Not sure if they are a variety of Cassia or the Queen's flower. But they sure are pleasing, ain't it?