Fifteen months and counting!

Dear Shreya,

Into the second year with a bang....this last 3 months had been so busy, sweetheart.
Our return from Canada immediately after your 1st bday, week long stay in Delhi, back-to-back family functions, two big fat bengali weddings, trip to Kharagpur and then Deogarh, host of relatives to visit in silchar and finally settling down back in bangalore after a long strand of 6 months.
However, among all these events, you had been a great sport.
Loved your adjusting capacity, child and your attitude to accept any situation with a big-smile.
Sometimes you do take time to warm up (not sure how you judge people to get friendly or not) but that is cool too.
Your very social nature is at its best. We had been to so many new places last month and meeting many relatives and all had been welcomed by you with such warmth. You treated them with all your antics – breaking into dances and doing all sorts of actions and gestures to floor them.  I think you adore all the attention and loves it more when people go awwwwww and clap for you.
You have deigned to be great friend with everyone, especially your grandparents and your Appa masi. And that was fortunate because I could leave you with them for extended periods of time and enjoy the wedding formalities.

Recite "Twinkle-Twinkle" and you immediately go 'UPP!' in anticipation of 'Up above the world so high'.  "Baa baa black sheep" makes your tiny 3 fingers come together.
And, I loved the way you open your mouth during "Jonny jonny.." and your fun-filled action in "Head-shoulder..". You series of actions had left most of the people awestuck and I was secreatly taking pride of it.

You continue to love roughhousing and nothing thrills you as much as being swung
about in all sorts of mad ways. I think you will be a good partner to have on our next trip to Disneyland.
You have started running about now. And you have also learnt to let your body completely loose when you don't want to be picked up.
Climbing up and down the couch is one of your recent accomplishments, one that gives me heart attacks regularly
Lately, you try to ape everything that the biggies at home do. You try to speak what they do and when they laugh, you break out too.
Your's other cuteness-quotient increasing things accomplished this month includes:
Putting a mobile phone to the ear and babbling endlessly, as if having an involved conversation with an unseen friend (whom your Pappa had named "Gaurav").
Shouting 'SHREYA' the moment you see your photo, mostly in our mobile/laptop, as if there was any doubt.
Brushing your teeth and that too with your finger and putting your hands on your eyes as if you are washing your face.
Trying out Momma's sandal and shouting at the peak of voice on trying to block your way.
Climbing over everything is your latest passion, specially the grill of our balcony from where you can look out to the road. You do this first thing in the morning and your Appa masi says this is your way of saying "Good Morniiiiiiiiiiing Bangalore"


You are rapidly expanding your vocabulary these days. Mimmie, Pappa/Baba, Dada, bow-bow (doggie), meow (cat), ammo (cow), babbby (for your fav doll), kur (thakur), Hi and Bye and Allo (hello) and ofcouse "cee uu"(see you). Its great fun to teach anything new these days and you pick up things quickly enough.
Peek-a-boo still tops your fav game though you enjoy the rides during your evening park-time too, you shake hands, give kissies both flying and the real ones, show your body parts...well most of them correctly, flauts your teeth on being asked for, shows your "dukku"....etc etc...the list is endless and I don't want to miss out on a single thing.  All these tricks are so precious and when you do these, I puff up like a toad with pride.


However, amist all your naughtiness, I am most impressed with your fascination for books, Shreya and if there is one habit I hope you're not going to leave..EVER. You bring your books to us and demand to be read. You point correctly at everything most of the time and I just love your grasping capability. A love for books and reading is one thing I hope to pass on to you, followed closely by passion for music ("dance" to be precise).
There is no greater joy than losing yourself in the wonderful world of a beloved book, retracing the adventures in an old favorite, the thrill you feel when you connect instantly with a new book or the quiet anticipation of an evening tucked up in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book left half way.


Picture that always brings smile in my face.
Love you baby. Have fun.