Saturday, December 20, 2008
At home, in bangalore, out of work and enjoying it
just about sums up my existence right now! Oh... and minus a computer and plus the net connection, so that the occasional visits of my brother with his laptop enables me to give a mild update on whats been happening here!!! Yes, I finally resigned, resigned from office and to the fact that three kids prone to wheezing and asthma equals the mom being at home for them!! Cost cutting includes just having a maid who blitzkriegs in the morning for mopping up the house, and all the rest of the household jobs resting squarely on my rather wide shoulders! Being at home is just so much work that I am astounded how I ever managed to sneak in office work. I mean, now when I am not washing the vessels, I am cooking, else I a putting the still breastfeeding krithika to sleep or I am cleaning the ever messy house, so, how in the world did I have enough space in my head to carry on building code and designing all those complex designs?? Is it the case of 'man adapting, rather expanding himself to situations' which means that I have essentially shrunk mentally? I am not sure, may be by the time my brother drops in here again, I might have an answer!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Going home again...
As in keeping with my history of ever changing decisions, we are moving back to bangalore again...after a stormy two months in Chennai. It feels great to imagine being back in one's own home, the nest you created for yourself, where your authority will not be questioned and where you need listen to no one but yourself. Along with it is also the image of toil, of waking up early and getting all the meals on the table before 9, of giving innumerable baths one after another to the three kids, of countless visits to the bathroom taking one or both of the twins for their natures calls, of trying to catch a wink of sleep in the afternoon to be rudely woken up by Krithika who rarely sleeps for more than an hour, of cleaning the house again and again so that Karthik can come back to a pleasing house, of endless sessions of feeding, giving bath and putting to sleep and last but not the least, fights that I will now have to again sort out on my own. Is it just two months that I have been here? Feels like ages since I was sole incharge of the kids. Then again, there are the images of cozy afternoons shared by Karthik, krithika and me, when the vanarams are asleep, of the movies we used to catch up before they woke up, of the playing and mucking around we did once karthik came back from office, of the almost every day trips we used to make so that the kids get to stretch their legs outside and of the sheer joy in being in your house with just you and your immediate family. Nothing rivals that, I know!
Going home again....less in words, more in memories and happiness.
Going home again....less in words, more in memories and happiness.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Why do I never seem to get settled?
Why is it that almost everyone I know have a stable job, are settled in a place for good and build a life for themselves in the place they work? I would have loved to do the very same, except for a series of serious, emotionally draining and bewildering experiences, I would not have changed a thread on the life I had. A beautiful house, in a very green location and a rewarding job. It is strange that every time I have felt that I am settled, all is exactly what I have wanted it to be, things have gone horribly wrong.
Kaustubh and Kashyap started going to school from May, and started falling sick every other week from May. With kachi, things were still fine, as he recovered quickly, but kautu, the intensity of his allergic attacks began to grow in such proportion that very soon, a running nose would have us biting our nails in tension, for it was now almost a certainity that a running nose entailed a wheesing attack and a viral and a secondary bacterial infection. Things finally got out of hand the last month and he was admitted with Pneumonia. Krithika was admitted in the next bed with a bronchal infection she picked up from Kautu and Kachi was sleeping on the attender's cot. At one point, kautu even stopped responding to our calls and thats when they shifted him to the ICU. The only comment by the doctors was that, the entire peadiatric ward was full of patients with bronchal infection, and the cause for this is just the pathetic Bangalore climate. And thats when I decided I will not show kautu this city till he is at least 5 years old. The day he recovers enough to travel I am going to Chennai to stay with my parents till karthik can find a job there.
One week later, we reached Chennai and he's been fine since. Its been a month here and I have found a house close by to my parents place. We are shifting next month. Karthik has not searched another job here, but is planning to work a few days from Chennai and a few from Bangalore. I don't know if this is going to work, but please pray that it does. For, if the kid is healthy, theres nothing we cannot achieve, if he is not, we are stunted physically, emotionally and professionally. Theres just so much to do, a big relocation, setting up the new house and what not, jobs compromised in the process, and god alone knows if it is all worth it.
Kaustubh and Kashyap started going to school from May, and started falling sick every other week from May. With kachi, things were still fine, as he recovered quickly, but kautu, the intensity of his allergic attacks began to grow in such proportion that very soon, a running nose would have us biting our nails in tension, for it was now almost a certainity that a running nose entailed a wheesing attack and a viral and a secondary bacterial infection. Things finally got out of hand the last month and he was admitted with Pneumonia. Krithika was admitted in the next bed with a bronchal infection she picked up from Kautu and Kachi was sleeping on the attender's cot. At one point, kautu even stopped responding to our calls and thats when they shifted him to the ICU. The only comment by the doctors was that, the entire peadiatric ward was full of patients with bronchal infection, and the cause for this is just the pathetic Bangalore climate. And thats when I decided I will not show kautu this city till he is at least 5 years old. The day he recovers enough to travel I am going to Chennai to stay with my parents till karthik can find a job there.
One week later, we reached Chennai and he's been fine since. Its been a month here and I have found a house close by to my parents place. We are shifting next month. Karthik has not searched another job here, but is planning to work a few days from Chennai and a few from Bangalore. I don't know if this is going to work, but please pray that it does. For, if the kid is healthy, theres nothing we cannot achieve, if he is not, we are stunted physically, emotionally and professionally. Theres just so much to do, a big relocation, setting up the new house and what not, jobs compromised in the process, and god alone knows if it is all worth it.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Krithika at 5 months...
is the absolute darling I have always longed for! She turned over a month back and now the moment you place her on the bed, she's done a 180 degree and busily kicking her legs. I put her in the crip beside me when I work and till she is hungry, she keeps up a non stop flow of conversation...mostly 'goo ingu' from her part and a lot of chatter from mine.
She loves having her brothers near her, infact, she refuses to drink if either of them or their dad is close by. She keeps turning her head to look at them, and forgets that she was consuming her meal! Why, if I look down on her when she is drinking, her mouth curls into a charming smile and all thoughts of milk vanishes! So, at times, I resort to covering her up with my dupatta even at home and missing the sight of her chubby face busily absorbed in doing what it knows best!
She cries when hungry, wet or sleepy (and ofcourse, when she has had her hands/legs pulled by her brothers). Period. Rest of the time, she is happy looking around and clutching at whatever is in her tiny hands reach. Lately, she has started cribbing when someone new picks her up. aha...my sweet tempered baby is growing up all too soon.
But truly, compared to the ruckus the twins are creating now (Terrible twos ... this word found its way into our dictionary a few weeks back and refuses to budge out of it), she is heaven. Infact, both Karthik and I endorse that fact that when your first child is in his terrible twos, it is better to have an infant at home, firstly because the infant reminds you that the monster you are seeing was not always like this, and secondly, the tiny innocence relieves you of all the headache, backache and handache that you are suffering from! (more on the twin disasters coming up in the next post, but, really, I have wanted to run out of this house many a times over the last one week!).
In short, our sunshine, our oasis, our baby Krithika (thats how the brothers call her), has filled our life with so much joy, we now understand the meaning of 'bundle of joy' (with the twins, it was always worry, worry that they have to put on weight, worry that they will fall sick and so on). Cuddling up to her at anytime in the day wipes clean all the dust that has accumulated in the mind and rubs a soothing balm over all the hurt. Her smile finds a mirror in mine and karthiks and we now find ourselves laughing and smiling almost the entire day (it is with her help that we even manage to keep our marbles intact inspite of the wild run her brothers give us). We love the twins to bits, even when they are at their stubborn worst, but Krithika right now fills a special part of us, a part that responds to the innocence in her.
If you ask me, I would say, the more the kids, the more joy in the house, but well, you might just want to stop at three ...we certainly do!
She loves having her brothers near her, infact, she refuses to drink if either of them or their dad is close by. She keeps turning her head to look at them, and forgets that she was consuming her meal! Why, if I look down on her when she is drinking, her mouth curls into a charming smile and all thoughts of milk vanishes! So, at times, I resort to covering her up with my dupatta even at home and missing the sight of her chubby face busily absorbed in doing what it knows best!
She cries when hungry, wet or sleepy (and ofcourse, when she has had her hands/legs pulled by her brothers). Period. Rest of the time, she is happy looking around and clutching at whatever is in her tiny hands reach. Lately, she has started cribbing when someone new picks her up. aha...my sweet tempered baby is growing up all too soon.
But truly, compared to the ruckus the twins are creating now (Terrible twos ... this word found its way into our dictionary a few weeks back and refuses to budge out of it), she is heaven. Infact, both Karthik and I endorse that fact that when your first child is in his terrible twos, it is better to have an infant at home, firstly because the infant reminds you that the monster you are seeing was not always like this, and secondly, the tiny innocence relieves you of all the headache, backache and handache that you are suffering from! (more on the twin disasters coming up in the next post, but, really, I have wanted to run out of this house many a times over the last one week!).
In short, our sunshine, our oasis, our baby Krithika (thats how the brothers call her), has filled our life with so much joy, we now understand the meaning of 'bundle of joy' (with the twins, it was always worry, worry that they have to put on weight, worry that they will fall sick and so on). Cuddling up to her at anytime in the day wipes clean all the dust that has accumulated in the mind and rubs a soothing balm over all the hurt. Her smile finds a mirror in mine and karthiks and we now find ourselves laughing and smiling almost the entire day (it is with her help that we even manage to keep our marbles intact inspite of the wild run her brothers give us). We love the twins to bits, even when they are at their stubborn worst, but Krithika right now fills a special part of us, a part that responds to the innocence in her.
If you ask me, I would say, the more the kids, the more joy in the house, but well, you might just want to stop at three ...we certainly do!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The resignation story
This is about a mom, with three kids, trying her best to retain a very interesting job as well as take good care of her kids. Solution after solution was tried, but nothing could please her. She wanted to be at home for them, at the same time, was loath to leave this highly interesting job. Working from home, like what she was used to seemed the best solution, only, the company that aquired her previous company has no work from home policy.
So, she put a deal with the company that for one month she be allowed to do 4 hours from home and another 4 hours from office. This worked out fine, but after one month, she still was not ready to get back to working full time from office. One, she was still breastfeeding her baby and did not want to stop that, next, her boys were also still quite young and leaving all the three with the maid did not seem a good idea. So, what was the other option? Resign.
So, the next day after the one month trial ended, she spoke to her manager about how difficult it is at home, and how she wants to quit if work from home is not possible. He then took some time, and asked her to meet the next higher up who then told her that with her good performance records, he is recommending to the HR that she be given this part time from home and part time from office work mode for an entire year.
Now, she had nothing to say, except thanks and nothing more to do than show a deeper commitment to her work!
So, thats how she is sitting here at home, typing away these lines to share her news with all of you!
So, she put a deal with the company that for one month she be allowed to do 4 hours from home and another 4 hours from office. This worked out fine, but after one month, she still was not ready to get back to working full time from office. One, she was still breastfeeding her baby and did not want to stop that, next, her boys were also still quite young and leaving all the three with the maid did not seem a good idea. So, what was the other option? Resign.
So, the next day after the one month trial ended, she spoke to her manager about how difficult it is at home, and how she wants to quit if work from home is not possible. He then took some time, and asked her to meet the next higher up who then told her that with her good performance records, he is recommending to the HR that she be given this part time from home and part time from office work mode for an entire year.
Now, she had nothing to say, except thanks and nothing more to do than show a deeper commitment to her work!
So, thats how she is sitting here at home, typing away these lines to share her news with all of you!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Some long due snaps
The guys in their birthday suit...doing what they enjoy the most...
The birthday boys, in their last year's birthday dress!!! Oh yes, they still fit into it..which just goes to show how the negligible 3 Kgs they have put on is nowhere to be seen!
Krithika a month back.....There's a smile you will always see on her!More snaps are coming in soon...time's now heavy on my hands but light on the camera!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Happy 2 nd birthday, dears!
Dearest Kachi and Kautu,
You are laughter, you are fun, infact, there is a smile on your face almost every other second. I rarely see you dull. My bundles of energy, oodles of smile......heights of frustration, everything you guys are! All 13 Kgs of love and 13 teeth of naughtiness, a few hairs of wisdom and two dimples of stubborness, you are. Mouthfull of orders, tongue full of cheek, eyes full of mischief and a smile that says..." Amma, I have just done something you don't like" ....all this and more you are. Four hands of games and two hands of fights, a back that shows teeth marks and a head that has seen walls, floors, bats, beds and what not. A little brown hair, a lot of black, two brown eyes and two black, one fair face and one dusky, two hands with fingers slender and two with chubby, one tall frame and another shorter, one good eater and the other poor, one talks one to a dozen, the other with perfect pronunciation, you guys are in no way similar.
One thing you dont differ ....... is in the way you smile when you see your dad and me, the way you come to us to solve your little fights and the way you respond to our hearts full of love.
Love you guys to bits, have a lovely lovely year ahead.
Loads of Luv,
Amma
You are laughter, you are fun, infact, there is a smile on your face almost every other second. I rarely see you dull. My bundles of energy, oodles of smile......heights of frustration, everything you guys are! All 13 Kgs of love and 13 teeth of naughtiness, a few hairs of wisdom and two dimples of stubborness, you are. Mouthfull of orders, tongue full of cheek, eyes full of mischief and a smile that says..." Amma, I have just done something you don't like" ....all this and more you are. Four hands of games and two hands of fights, a back that shows teeth marks and a head that has seen walls, floors, bats, beds and what not. A little brown hair, a lot of black, two brown eyes and two black, one fair face and one dusky, two hands with fingers slender and two with chubby, one tall frame and another shorter, one good eater and the other poor, one talks one to a dozen, the other with perfect pronunciation, you guys are in no way similar.
One thing you dont differ ....... is in the way you smile when you see your dad and me, the way you come to us to solve your little fights and the way you respond to our hearts full of love.
Love you guys to bits, have a lovely lovely year ahead.
Loads of Luv,
Amma
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