Breaking Cliches

I am learning to break more cliches which is a nice thing. I am breaking some of the rigidity inside me. Today I was speaking to my former Project Manager, a really nice lady. She just had her baby , her baby must be about 4 months old and she has already joined work. I was wondering why would she do that? Because she has leave. Yes these are uncertain times and people are getting fired. But I was thinking that feeding baby must be top priority, and her husband is earning, so why cant she take a chance and take leave to feed her baby.

I was thinking how some people can compromise things for money and so on and so forth. But today she tells me that her husband has been laid off. And there is only one income and that her husband is searching for a job.

I now get it. She cannot afford the risk of taking leave. What if her job goes too? What will they do with two children?
I empathise with her and really pray hard that her husband gets a job soon. I was so judgemental, I shouldn’t have been. People are different and come in all types from outside and within and just because they are different from me or do things differently from what I may be doing or what I think is right doesn’t make them bad or negative….

And I am learning that..

Baby, job, lay off and some such

There are a few updates regarding kutti Sanjay. Well, he is almost seven months old and has learnt a few new tricks. He is trying to crawl. And he is saying “mmmmmmmaaa” , almost “Amma” and this is music to my ears and the icing on the cake, he is trying to sit. I feel so proud looking at my son, I scream with joy and pride as he displays every new skill. It is beautiful to watch a child begin to do new things..but now that I am working, I don’t get to see things the first time he does them….i miss that..but at least he is gracious enough to show me a new trick or two once I am back from office.

Talking about Office, things are not looking all that good. There was a lay-off in my company, some say 60-70 people and some say 120 people. People were suddenly called for a meeting and informed that they were being fired, or being let go , like they say in politically correct circles and they were asked to leave immediately. How miserable would that be? One day you are at work and the next day, you don’t know where the next salary is going to come from. I feel sad for them.

What would I do if that happened to me? I would take a break till the kid is a year old and then search a new job, but the very thought is scary. Tough times. I pray to God to give everyone the strength to carry on and find better options and carry on.

Not totally unrelated to the above, I sometimes wonder if I have a career choice other than the one I am currently in. I love writing. I used to write stories when I was in school. Pity I stopped doing and moved to random four lines that I call poetry. Doing something creative gives me a high. Creating stories is one such.

What would I love to write? I would love to write pleasant romances, not the ones where the guy is rich and handsome and the girl is pretty and all such clichés. But like “Jab we met”. That’s one movie I totally fell in love with. The characters were so real. The situations real too. Its not all sweet for the heroine alone, she gets chased by wrong characters, she gets advised by the station master and she retorts.But whats most interesting about the story is the contrast between the two characters, how vivacious she is, how optimistic she is, how much she enjoys the little joys in life and how he is so silent and serious and how they both change completely after time, how they have influenced each other. How She helps him in the beginning and later he helps her ….mand, that’s one movie I would watch a thousand times. I want to able to write a story like that..seriously.

My friend says,I should write my own love story. It is not cutesy like “Jab we met”, though it does have its cute moments. But as time goes by, I am forgetting all the nitty-gritties and the little nothings of my obscure love story. But If I do write I would put in all the clichés and make myself the pretty damsel in distress and my husband , the knight in shining armour. Who wants to be odd man out???

Hah!! I could write a love story inspired by my own and use a pseudonym!!!

But if my writing is going to be as obscure as I have just written , the chances of me making a career out of it is very slim. But who doesn’t dream impossible dreams??

Random Updates

I have a big weakness or Is it a gift?? I talk dime a dozen. I listen too…but I talk more, you get the picture. I worry if I am boring. Do any of you worry that way?
It’s just fine between me and the husband because he doesn’t talk much and I talk a lot, so there is a balance. And he loves me, so he wouldn’t find most of what I say boring and I listen a little longer when it is him talking. But not all are like that no?

I just realized that music makes me happy. I never thought I was a music person. But music does make me happy. I love the sound you know. Silence can be sometimes so uncomfortable. I like silence too , when I am too happy to want external influences or with someone very special say my husband, my child, Sriram….i love the bonding that silence can bring then…but when I am not in that much of a high spirit, music please anytime,……

Talking about Sriram, I love the little guy to bits and love the way he adores me. Even my own son doesn’t adore me that way. Kutti Sriram will look at me and say “vidya chthi kannu azhagaa irukku”.I would hold his hands and walk with him and he would lean and kiss my hands, suddenly and say “Vithya Chithi rumba pidikkum” . I love the expressiveness. We all exhibit our affection to kids… why cant we continue demonstrating our affection.
Sriram has started playschool BTW.

My own kutti Sanjay it well past the 6 months mark. Time flies by …. Sometimes when I think back I get tears of joy. When I look at little baby like Sanju, I wonder how innocent they are and think how there couldn’t be a better representation of God other than Children. As far as Sanju is concerned, He is moving around on the floor and tries to grab everything and put it in his mouth.

I now go to work in my bike. Yes my own bike, bought with my own hard earned money. I am yet to get that used to driving in traffic but it is ok…
SO there you go…updates from me.

It's a BOY!!!!!!!

i couldnt wait to get my hands on a comp and type this post..it was like waiting to tell your best friend your most happy news...

I delivered a baby boy on April 11th at 6:31 PM. it was a C-section and baby and me were fine. We named the boy Sanjay. He is almost 5 and half months old now and doing fine. I am worrying he might be catching cold, but that aside, he is good.

I took six months off and will be joining work on Oct 1st. Lots to say and lots to share. I am brimming with words but no time as i am at a browsing center and baby is sleeping at home. I am here to send a bit of an official document.
All you people, thnaks for your wishes and take care. I hope to voice all my thoughts here more often.
:)

Pregnancy Update and other sundry information...

Pregnancy update again. I have completed 7 months and am now into eight month. It has been a rollercoaster ride for me. 5th month I gained 4 Kgs which freaked out my doctor and I tried not to gainand ended up with a reduction in hemoglobin count, and so I began to eat properly and thank God , my hemoglobin count is now good. And I don’t have sugar(gestational diabetes). On the flip side, Ithink I am going to hear from the doc about my weight…..

Anyways, so far so good. I can feel little Paappu move within me pretty nicely and others can feel as well as see it once in a while when the baby moves really lots…its nice

There’s not much nausea, but I feel tired in the mornings and wish I didn’t have to get out and could just sleep. Once I am in office I feel better, traveling leaves me a bit tired.

I have two more months to go and there would be a baby. Overwhelming!!!

I think I have become majorly calm during the pregnancy, contrary to what people generally say, all that about emotional upheaval during pregnancy..i seem to have suddenly developed an ability to overlook the little things in life….they don’t irk me that much….seriously.

Good thing, totally not related to pregnancy, I cleared the SCJP exam. I hope to get one more certification before I resume work after the baby. I just want to make sure I am employable and always in a position to provide for my baby and all my loved ones.

Sriram speaks so much these days. It is such a pleasure to listen to him repeat words after the grown-ups, whether he gets the meaning or not. He can identify my voice over the phone and immediately says “Vidhya Chithi” or shortens it to “Vithi”. If you ask him to sing, he will go “AaaaaaaaaAaaaaaaaaaaa……” so sweetly….

Life is good so far. Nothing great happening on the career front, which irks me a bit, much as I try not to let the little things irk me…anyways priority no.1 is the baby and hearing and feeling that the bay is good fixes all the wrongs

My Seemantham got over and now my hands speak a language of jingle-jangle with every movement. The seemantham went well…well attended and I had fun as always except when I had to sit on the floor and my legs hurt like crazy..i was afraid to get and walk off,worried what some people might say…welcome to the tough life of a woman!!!!

I am now officially allowed to think of names for the baby..people out there, you are welcome to give your suggestions..i don’t know if it is a baby girl or a baby boy..so both names welcome please… However, I have thought of a baby girl name. Popular opinions of all maamis who attended my seemantham is that I am going to have a boy…but I have thought of a girl baby name …I really like that name…so Gods of numerology and popular opinion permiting and me having a girl, i would call my girl baby with my secret favourite name….i need to think up a lot more names though…I haven't yet thought of a boy baby name, did come across some that i liked but nothing that captured my fancy.

I am showing pretty well now. So even ladies hold the door for me and i get seat in train. It isn't always that sweet as sometimes people dont really bother. I can stand fro someime so it doesn't matter. But everytime someone does something because i am pregnant i feel real nice. It feels like a privilege.

So thats my pregnancy update...

Mrs. Mom

I sit here, bored and my phone rings. The voice of a toddler fills it with its loudness.
“Chithi..va ..va”
Little Sriram has learnt to speak so much. It is such a pleasure.
J

Finally, it is safe to tell the whole world that I am expecting, now that I am almost done with my first trimester.
I always liked kids. Always..and it was a great joy to know that I would be a mother soon. I have almost been a mother to Sriram. I have known him from the tiny movements that I felt when I placed my palm on my sister’s very pregnant tummy, and I marveled at Life…

So what was first trimester like? I doubt if I am pregnant at all for I don’t feel any different. I felt very hungry and nauseous if I didn’t eat. But all I had to do to fix it was to eat. And now , even that has gone. So am pretty OK, expect for every little ache scaring me crazy.

Each visit to the doctor has me asking just one question, “Is the baby OK?” like I couldn’t care for anymore..any pain is OK as long as the little one is fine.

The first time seeing the baby in ultra-sound, and getting the image in the scan report, was amazing…

Am yet to really feel pregnant..but each little change makes me go wow.