Three years of Her Highness

... and I used the term 'Her Highness', advisedly, because she’s quite a diva now. She likes the spotlight, she loves attention and she just basks in the glory of her own happiness (touchwood).

This year was quite an exciting year for her or rather for us as a family. We have spend time together like never before, a complete family time of sheer just-being-with-each-other. Bliss I say!

Big thing that happened this year was her school, which started with Foundation Mont in Bangalore and we have already undergone multiple rounds of changes within less than a year time-frame. After shifting to Toronto, it was 'Queen Victoria Public School' and now its 'More than a child's play', which is more of a pre-kinder garden preparatory program. A huge change for Shreya as she started spending longer hours in school and that too amidst a multi-nationality environment, which added as a great boon in shaping her personality.

She is full of life and has developed a grace which is hard to capture in words. She’s dancing like a pro, learned some swimming strokes with much ease and can hoola pretty well. I watch the supreme control she has over each muscle, the determination to get it right and the willingness to keep at it, and I admire it in one so young.

‘She looks just like you..’ people say and I look at them in shock. What? My beautiful, delicate baby…? Not at all, I want to say and I’m not being modest. I remember the same scene over and over again – years of visitor telling my mother that I look like her, and my Mom looking quite annoyed – how dare they say her beautiful daughter looked like her… surely her daughter was a beauty **wink wink**! Maybe its a family thing. Maybe we are obsessed with our daughters. Maybe our daughters are a distilled version of us, each generation a little sharper featured, a little sharper tempered, a little sharper in every aspects. Her curls are still to-die-for but gets messy within an hour of proper brushing. Beautiful expressive eyes which takes after her father and dominates every conversation. She doesn’t need them really. She could close her eyes and still have people hanging on her every word because nothing is as captivating as the conversation that she gets into these days and those sounds like serious adult-to-adult talking (and I am just not kidding here). She still spends hours with books either me or S reading it to her or she trying to read them, painting and crafting is her new passion and so is dancing (her Papa being her fav companion). 

Another striking thing that we noticed off late is she showing an interesting streak of fair play and diplomacy. So if I grab a hand and drag her in for a hug, she’ll not just submit but twist around and plant a huge kiss on my forehead (in the sweetest, almost paternal way). And I’ll say, “I love you, Shreyu baby’ and she’ll nod, accepting it and add, ‘Papa o bhalobashe Shreya ke **smiley smiley**' (Papa also loves Shreya). The other day we were lazing on the bed, one of those many pros of a vacation, a book in my hand, a book in Shreya's hand and S busy with his Ipad game when I turned around and squeezed the living daylight out of Shreya and said 'You're my baby'. Shreya immediately looked at her Dad's reaction who was too busy in his games (and might not have even heard what I uttered) and solemnly responded with 'Yes and Papa's baby too', just so that her Papa does not feel left out, simply because she know that he's not as verbal as her Mimme. 

And while we’re on the topic, can I add how much I love these moments? We’re now at a stage where she is old enough to be absorbed in whatever she is yet she is young enough to still think of her body as a part of yours. Arms and legs entangled, soft cheeks pressed against your arm, thoughts unselfconsciously expressed. Even if you don’t believe in a God, these are the moments that give you that flash of doubt.

Time’s a-flying and the tiny little baby is a human with a personality to rival any adult’s. 

I watch her slip through my fingers, light as sand, delicate as foam, strong as silken thread.

Yet again, happy happies, my little not-so-hungry caterpillar. Watching you turn into a human being has been the most fascinating experience of our life. We can’t wait to see you turn into the most beautiful butterfly ever.

Welcome to the year 3, Shreya.