cant believe we made besan laddoos at 10 pm....

milosh loves besan laddoos. The only decent store in the area is a little far. My mom also convinced me that you will never buy from store once you get into home made. She sent me a video and I was watching it tonight at 9:30. Milosh wanted to watch it too, and asked if I was making it tonight. I said no, I will make it after we get the right things from Indian store. "can we please make it tonight?" "just please"
now its hard for me to recollect when he asked me to please make something or so I convinced myself and here we are. Milosh was a big helper, stirring the besan all the time. There is something about the smell of that besan with ghee, which makes you nostalgic and takes you way back in memory lane :)
I was crazy about laddoos as a kid, expect no less from my son!
the smell and the licking of the leftover crumbs on our palms satiated us today. More reviews tomorrow.

Little bit long and a little bit short.

(Me driving the car with Milosh and Rhea to the Bothell Country Village for some Christmasy fun.)

Rhea: Stuti aunty, how long will it take to reach?
Me: About 15 min.
Rhea (very confidently and expecting an objective answer): The long 15 min or the short 15 min?
Me: (Stumped and not sure how to answer)
Milosh (helping me out): Rhea, it will be a little bit long and a little bit short.
Rhea: Oh ok.

Thank you to Milosh for settling this. Of course, when he is with Rhea, timing and waiting is not much of a concern  :)

Elves and the toymaker

I took Milosh to Kirkland Performance Center for a musical called "Elves and the toymaker" A super simple and sweet story. A toymaker and his wife had made a lot of toys which get all lost and stolen. The elves like to help people and surprise them. So they come and start to make toys at night. After two nights of getting toys, toymaker and his wife make coats for the elves and say thank you!

Here are some reasons why I loved the show:

• There was a lot of kids and they had lots of ways of interacting with the kids. They asked the kids to keep secret that the elves had done the good deeds. They made the kids sing and dance! Milosh loved it also - we exchanged smiles during the show.
• The theme was in keeping with the season - and the spirit of giving! They had even asked audience to get some toys to donate to needy kids; and during the show the elves asked the kids to put the toys on the stage! What better way to get your kids to learn to give! They became a part of the story!  
• The songs were fun - and they were original! The lady who was playing the piano had written the lyrics and the songs - and they were very very nice!
• The props on the set were made by elf#2 - who is also a carpenter. He explained a lot of things about how he made the rocking teddy bear, and how their sets are all made collapsible in a book.
• They had a QandA session at the end - and the kids got to ask questions from the crew - there were lots of questions about how they did this and that. Milosh wanted me to raise the hand and ask to show the backside of the door prop!
• There were two people who were constantly narrating the show in sign language - for those in the audience who could not hear. They also had special arrangements for disabled. Its really heart touching to see so much thoughtfulness about being inclusive.
• Last reason is that the show is right next to the library - where we could walk and get some books for Milosh. We got lunch from PCC after doing grocery, and then after the show spent some time in the library. Sunday afternoon well spent!

Milosh decorating the christmas tree

Anuj got a tree and some ornaments today (its our first real tree - the last time we did a small fake one which was as tall as Milosh at the time :)). Milosh is enjoying decorating it. We might put some presents for him under the tree! One of the presents that his daada daadi sent is still packed - and will be nice to add to the surprise. 

First nutcracker show for the family

I just realized we have not been in US for the last two Christmas. Suddenly Milosh is at an age that he can start to enjoy the holidays' festivities. And there is SO MANY things going on to soak in the festival. I want to show many many things to Milosh this year.

Its the first time we went to watch a nutcracker show. We all loved it - especially Milosh. He wanted to watch more. He loves performances. While there were no dialogues and the music was not too loud, the audience was really quiet - even though we went for the family show - that had so many kids. I learnt a lot about this famous tradition this year. The show was amazing, the music was great, the choreography was beautiful, the dances graceful - it was a perfect Sunday evening. I can totally see why people make this a holiday tradition.

It was more fun because we were two families that went together. After the show we went to Punjabi sweets in Kent - ate heart full of yummy desi food - let the kids eat one burfi, laddoo and jalebi; and also convinced ourselves to take home dabbas of 6 laddoos per family ;)
 

Milosh doing the lotus pose

He is learning a lot of yoga in his school! He has picked parts of Gayatri mantra too - check out his picture and video below.

Milosh's adventures in Bali

We just returned from a two week vacation in Bali, Indonesia. We had an incredible holiday. Milosh had a great time in Bali also and the adventurous side of  his personality became more pronounced this time! These are some of the things he loved the most:

• Swimming: This time Milosh's swimming improved drastically. We had private swimming pools (10' by 15'') for the most part. The first day he could almost do the width, the second day length and then there was no stopping him. He kept swimming lap after lap; and would not stop. He came up with lots of cute games - we would swim from two opposite directions and give high 5 or have our goggles collide; or kiss etc. Races that he had to win. He became incredibly comfortable with water - and very independent also. Very soon we were comfortable leaving him by himself in the pool without life jackets (we would be close by and keep an eye but did not have to be in the water) We even took him for open water swims in the ocean this time; and he even tried snorkeling! He got to see the fishes and beautiful corals, which he fondly calls "diving thins". Even in open water he did not want to wear a life jacket; and did not want any grown ups supporting his direction etc.  Most importantly, he LOVED swimming and would jump in the pool every chance he got. Also, thanks to swimming, he would fall asleep at 7:30 pm sharp - standing or sitting. 

Goggles high 5

Swimming by the shore

V for victory

Swimming by himself - in an infinity pool

• Monkeys: Milosh loves monkeys. The last time he had spent so much time with monkeys was in Jaipur, and instead of the forts etc he had wanted to sit and watch the "beautiful monkeys". Bali has a lot of monkeys and we had told Milosh we had got him from a zoo and if he does badmashi we might leave him with the monkeys. He kind of bought it ;) But for real, he was too comfortable with monkeys. He handed banana to the monkey, posed with it.  

Monkey climbing on Milosh in Monkey Forest, Ubud

Milosh feeding banana to monkey, Kintamani

• Bali Safari and Marine Park: Milosh is the most amazing 4 yr old - he supported his parents for diving. While taking turns we went diving and he mostly patiently waited. By the time we came to the end of our diving; we wanted him to enjoy a kiddie place and took him to Bali Safari Park. He enjoyed the safari, watched an elephant show but he most loved their water park. 

• Bali Treetop Adventure: This is probably one of the things we almost decided not to do because we wanted to reach Ubud sooner and because they needed shoes, but would have been a serious miss if we had not done this. We had no idea he has such an appetite for adventure - was not scared of anything; and was too adept in these circuits. Our fellow people were commenting - he is ready for army. Based on his height he was eligible only for two circuits, which he did many many times. He loved zip lining a lot! He was negotiating hard to be able to do the next circuits! 

• Dolphin tour: We planned a 2 day stay in Lovina, mainly so we could show wild dolphins to Milosh. We got up and loaded the little boats at 6:00 am, I was wondering if we will get to spot some today. Soon enough we saw scores of dolphins. We would all point in some direction - and say - there! And we would all look that way. It was a little game, dolphins would appear for some time and then disappear with no clue where they will come next. The dolphins did come real close to our boat a few times and while we did not see a super high jump, we did see them jump and leap many times. We had our heart full of watching dolphins. After about an hour of watching dolphins, we were all kind of done; but Milosh spelled it for us; when we pointed - look there, he would say "I don't want to see any more dolphins" 
• Feeding fishes: There were many places with little koi ponds but this one place we went to two times and Milosh spent a long time there waiting with his dad while his mom had some spa time. He fed the fishes. He was very excited to feed them, took good care to make the pieces really small; and soon commented - the fishes are really hungry (they would not stop eating and kept asking for more). We even tried putting food on top of lotus leaves and the fishes would literally crawl over the leaf to get the food.

• Turtle farm (Feeding turtles, taking pictures with snake, bird, bat, you name it): While his dad and mama went diving, his mami and I took Milosh and Jaadu on a glass bottom boat to turtle farm. Milosh loved feeding the turtles - he could do it for ever; and also posed with a lot of scary animals. While I typically stay clear of such photo type touristy places, Milosh really surprised me by enjoying it. When the guide asked me, I said no to taking pictures with snake etc because it might be scary - but there were tears in his eyes and he really wanted to do it, by himself and was not scared at all. 

• Time with his baby brother: Milosh loves his baby brother (his first cousin 2 years old). Most of the times their interaction is over Skype where he shows little cars to his brother. This time his brother came from India to Bali. Even though his brother was a little sick, they connected well and played a lot. Milosh would diligently make cars etc to cheer up his brother. They of course had their share of little fights - both wanting the same thing at the same time etc. But Milosh loved being around his brother, wearing the same shirts like him, everything :) 

Milosh was not just a co-operative kid, but a super fun travel buddy. He had minor stomach issues, which he got over really fast. Thank you Milosh for being an awesome travel buddy! I look forward to many more fun travels with you!

I can't hear you...

A new trick that Milosh has learnt. The moment he knows we are asking him to do something he does not want to do; or if he knows he is in for a pep talk - he immediately says "I can't hear you..." Sometimes he will even put his fingers in his ears to emphasize the not hearing. He has a knack of recognizing when he is going to get a pep talk - and immediately his fingers make it to the ears.

Reminds me of the time when my brother and I would tease each other and pretend to not see /hear the other person's reaction. I would even keep my eyes closed for the longest time - only to find his tongue sticking out to tease me - the moment I opened my eyes!

Anyway, as parents we have a lot of opportunities to say " I can't hear you" - when Milosh wants yet another toy, when Milosh wants yet another dessert; its a tempting strategy. But we get kicked and pulled and everything else.

Milosh's first gun

Milosh got this gun from his friend Arjun. Arjun is a few years older than him, and was way too generous. Milosh made full use of the opportunity of taking a toy from him and asked for his gun.

Fortunately though he does not spend much time playing with it. Sometimes he wants to shoot me and I have to fall down in an animated way - and he loves that. He does however very well know the meaning of shooting and killing etc. He has already been corrupted by media.

Lego tow truck at 3:30 am

Milosh has a great Montessori teacher - and when I had met her 1-1 after a few weeks of knowing Milosh, she had said - he is a boy of a strong will. I was not super sure how to interpret that. But she had put it really well. When she saw concern on my face, she said - its a good thing, he will be persistent.

We have seen his strong will in many ways - a phase that he only wanted to wear night clothes, and now that he is sticking to summer clothes regardless of weather, the list is long. Here is the latest from this bucket.

Last night Milosh had made a tow truck with legos. While I don't let him bring such things into the bed, he managed to sneak it in. I was fast asleep - and then at 3:30 Milosh woke up and immediately looked for his tow truck. And of course the lego pieces were all over the place - and he howled - "My tow truck broke." "I need to fix it." I did say probably once - lets do it in the morning but messing with a strong willed boy who is half asleep and really upset at 3:30 am - I know when not to push it. He made me turn on the light - and then we cleared the blanket and everything to locate all the lego pieces. Then he got to work and I slid under the blanket.

He did cry for a bit - and was saying you broke it. I said I did not - may be you broke it. And then based on his reaction I immediately accepted that I had broken it ;)

I don't know what time he slept, but I do know that he did finish his tow truck before he slept again. When he was done, he came and kissed me - and was too tired to go turn off the light.

I am not happy about getting up in the middle of the night but I am very happy about his persistence. Nothing great can be made by someone who is not a bit crazy and eccentric :)

Perfect sunday

This Sunday we were too lazy - no parties, classes, playdates or anything. Just recording how Milosh's Sunday went - because I think he liked it.

He woke up and straight up built a lego helicopter. He was helped by me (and was officially certified as a good Lego block finder). He showed his creation to naana and nanni over Skype. After breakfast, he did two floor puzzles. He is getting good at it! Around lunch time - he tried black sticky rice pudding for the first time - and enjoyed it. We had a nice relaxed late lunch. Then his daddy took him for biking. He did some workbook stuff - writing letters and coloring. Then we all went swimming.
He still had the floatation thing for the most part but he did many laps. All three of us swam together in a lane - it was really cool!

After coming home Milosh finished watching Lion King; ate pasta and drank kombucha. At night he read "Hand, hand fingers thumb" - and then had a nice peaceful sleep!!  Unplanned and awesome day!

I will run away from home ... just like the Lion King

We've all had our rebellious moments - when staying at home was the biggest problem. Milosh has his first epiphany at the age of 4.5.

It was a relaxed Sunday evening. Milosh was watching the classic Lion King. It was dinner time and I had given him some pasta. He was supposed to be eating by himself - but he was too busy watching. So I decided to feed him a few bites. He turned his face - he really wanted to eat by himself - and said - If you feed me I will run away from home, just like Simba ran away.

Anuj and I watched with round eyes for a bit - curbing our smiles. Anuj explained to him - Simba ran away from home because he thought he killed his dad; I added, not because his mom fed him pasta.

Oh, the pride of my little boy!

I want to be a monster truck driver when I grow up ....

We've all been there :) - My brother wanted to be a chawkidar, one of our cousins wanted to be a garbage truck driver; and today Milosh has declared he wants to be a monster truck driver when he grows up.

Anuj had been keeping an eye on monster jams in Seattle area - and we just got tickets for the January show. We started showing some youtube videos of the same to Milosh - and this is the best thing he has ever seen! That's when the wish came :)

He has every type of monster truck - there is even a school bus monster truck ... and if you ask him for a show - he will gladly show you one :)

Festive Season

Milosh's first Raavan dahan

Milosh's first dandia night (also his mom's :p)

Pumpkin picking in Remlinger Farms

 First Halloween costume Milosh picked himself.

Happy dusshera to us! Happy pumpkin carving to us

 

Happy meal or mommy's meal?

This past week I had to stay a little bit extra at work and Anuj decided to take Milosh golf right after school and stop at McDonalds for a kids happy meal. He had had it the first time in California - its hard for me to think McDonalds - ever - so that explains why it was his first time when he is well over 4!

And just as you would expect, he likes it - a lot. Today when Anuj went to pick him up - he wanted it again. Anuj said - no lets go home and have mommy's meal at mommy's kitchen. Milosh said - but that's not happy!!!

Of course not!!!

Where do babies come from - Part 1

I am sure this story of discovery is only starting. But this is the first story that  needs to be recorded. I recently had one of my friends over to our place. She is expecting a baby and we all put our hands on her tummy to feel the movements of the baby. It was fascinating for all of us - including Milosh.

Later he explained to me - one day Aunty will cough really hard and the baby will come out!

Lol! This seems like a perfectly logical explanation - and I am surprised I never thought of this before - and I have no intentions of telling him otherwise ;) 

Taking care of mommy being upset....

I keep telling Milosh - I will be very upset if .... (you threw the clothes that I just folded, cried for more gummy bear etc etc.) Milosh took care of that logic once and for all. Here's how. 

I recently went to his school for curriculum night and the teacher was saying how she puts up her daughter's favorite works of the week on the fridge. I thought it was a good idea - and let Milosh pick some too and asked him to put it on the fridge (which he has only recently learnt when I asked him to put a postcard of a play on the fridge so we don't forget) I might have been over-enthusiastic in appreciating his art work- because he somehow established the idea - that if mommy gets upset, she can go look at the art work on the fridge and she will feel better. He then found this little toy - when you pull the little thread all its limbs kind of jiggle up. He said when you are very upset, I will do this. and that will make you feel better. 

So today there was a lot of noise downstairs - like some serious hammering was in process; it couldn't be good, I asked whats going on and saw how Milosh and Rhea were trying to open gummy bear bottles. Now he knew that they had already had their quota of the day (which is why they had taken the matter in their own hands I suppose) and hence Mommy was going to be upset. Worry not! he immediately went next to the fridge and pulled the red string. 

And of course I laughed! Now I am not sure if I laughed because the child lock worked (thank God for that); or because of Milosh covering his antics with this cute little toy - but hey - it worked! Mommy being upset was well handled!

It tastes like yucky juice, but I like it....

A few months ago I tried a drink called Kombucha (literally because it was the only cold drink available which was not too sugary) - and found it to be magical. We kept buying a lot of GT's gingerade kombucha. I let Milosh drink a few sips and he loved it too. In fact he would ask for it without a context. For the longest time I was not sure if its actually okay for kids. Then I came across blogs which suggested recipes to make kombucha tasty for kids. Then I did some more research and borrowed a book from the library: Cultured food for life. I was amazed at how powerfully healthy some of the cultured foods are. The author specifically recommends - kefir, kombucha, sprouted grains and sourdough bread. Being Indian, we already have some of the fermented foods like idli and dosa in our diet (also Milosh's favorite - including our new family favorite - home made ragi dosa) I got some of these things from the store (like kefir cheese and sourdough bread)- and he immediately loved each one of them. Lo and behold I started making my own kombucha. Milosh now loves it so much, he would fight to get a full bottle. This time he did not even wait for me to second ferment it, flavor it or even refrigerate - and he wanted to taste it - after I gave him a small sip - he said - "It tastes like yucky juice, but I like it... "

I am really glad that Milosh naturally likes some of these things which I consider are really good for gut health. Very proud of him (and myself ;))!  

Coconut milk ice-cream - family style

We went to a Thai restaurant for dinner tonight. The dinner was just okay. But we spotted a coconut milk ice cream - being vegan I was excited about it. We ordered a bowl. It was a good size for us to share. We all tasted a bite - and Milosh decided it was too tasty to be shared. He scooted to one end of the table so we could not share the ice cream. Much of the pleading and begging got us few melted drops. We briefly considered getting another bowl - but decided that was too much sugar for all of us. These are the times when I use my brains :) - ha ha ha - I told Milosh - oh look at that painting - can you count the hats. While Milosh counted, Anuj passed the ice-cream to me! And with some more things on the wall, Anuj got to eat it too. It was so thrilling to steal and eat - ice cream tasted even better. When Milosh turned back we would tell him - this is the same ice cream which he had given us originally. He was suspicious a few times - but mainly because we were laughing. I hope we can continue to use this method again to share ice-cream (at least till Milosh reads this blog he would hopefully not know ;))- totally made my day! 

First sleep over

It was my birthday yesterday. When we told Milosh about it, he said - "I want to go there" :) Vibha, Amit and Rhea had called us over for dinner and we cut the cake etc. After that we left Milosh with them and went out to meet some other friends. Turned out to be Milosh's first official sleep over at a friend's place!

I knew he had been ready for it for a long time, and still last week it hadn't quite worked - and he did still miss his mommy. But not yesterday. He had a great time. Rhea and Milosh form a union when they are together. When offered meals, Rhea announces "We are not hungry, right Mayo?" "We don't want any vegetables or fruits, right Mayo?" I don't remember Milosh having a different opinion on things like these. They do end up having small fights over toys etc. But often they are so fond of being with each other that we can threaten them - no playdates, if you both don't listen to us ;)

Vibha told me one cute conversation they had - they were talking about cars; and Rhea told which car she wants; and then Milosh said he wants a half-car. He probably meant a convertible. He told Rhea when he becomes big, he is going to have his own. He also asked her "Will you sit in my half-car when I grow up?" 

Sept 5th - Janmashtami celebrations

On the eve of my birthday, we got a text from our good friend, who also does a lot of service in the Bellevue Hindu temple - saying all the kids are getting dressed up as Krishna - for a fancy dress competition at the temple. We told Milosh and he was excited about the idea - and wanted to dress up. We found what we could from home and got him dressed up. We tried to tell him a few Krishna stories and turned out he already knew most of them (thanks to dada dadi)! He even sings Hare Krishna really well.

We were so excited as we headed to the temple. The story of all of us living away from India - festivals is when we miss India the most. When we lived in India there is a number of festivals we did not care about much - but here in US we NRIs dress up in our beautiful Indian clothes (thankful for the occasions to put on our ethnic clothes) and huddle together in hundreds in temples designed for 40-50 people. Expecting any sense of order or organization in such functions is like trying to find logic in Hindi movies ;) - but just like Bollywood, they really fill our hearts! For some people its the religious significance, and for others its a sense of community - but always joyful events we all love.

We had told Milosh that he will get laddoos in the temple and patiently waited for it. Across the oceans, his only first cousin Jaadu was also dressed as Krishna.

Bet together they would have won the contest :) 

Show me the dream again ...

Second day at school - very understandable he did not want to wake up in the morning. He had too much fun yesterday and really needs more sleep. When I woke up he said, I was watching pictures you turned it off. I tried to probe what pictures he was watching but he was not very happy. He asked me to turn on the pictures again - which pictures - any pictures. If left to himself, he would have slept a solid 2 more hours. Wish I could show him his dream again!! 

Boys don't wear jackets

Fall season is knocking on the door - as is my little boy's manhood. While the rest of us can stay snug and warm in our jackets and other warm clothes; my son is too cool for jackets - quite literally! I know what other kids do plays an important role for him - so I pointed to another kid (happened to be a little girl) - saying - look she's wearing a jacket. Then he educated me - "boys don't wear jackets." He paused for a bit and told me the names of two other boys in his class who do wear jacket (thank God for that). May be when it gets colder, he will warm up to jackets again! 

Quiet bedtime routine

Parenting can be so hard! Today we had a pretty rough evening. I literally had a wrestling match with Milosh. I was looking at my phone, he tried to snatch it, I took it away, he threw a pillow on me and I tied his hands together, re-using my karate move I had learnt when I was 10. If only I knew I would be using this self defense against a 4 yr old!
Anyway, two nights in a row we have decided to have quiet bedtime, right from the time we take the stairs for the bedroom. It is such a life savior!! Huge rest to my throat! When what we need to communicate has not changed in forever - brush ur teeth, wash ur face. Go to bed. Silence has made this amazing, no more screaming over and over again. It has worked 2 days in a row, and I am very pleased with myself.
today, he wanted to put baby powder all over his body, and I decided to remain quiet. With the forced quiet time, it was obvious that peace of mind is more important than the talcum powder. It's not always obvious.
while Milosh can forcibly open my eyes, he can't force me to talk. Or he hasn't figured it yet ;)

Speaking Hindi for jalebi, like jalebi.....

Rhea and Milosh had been promised one jalebi for dessert if they spoke 5 Hindi sentences with each other. There is no better way for them to learn Hindi than to talk with each other. Luckily for us, they both seem to have a similar level and we have been able to successfully incentivize them into speaking Hindi. On our way back from dinner, during the car ride they started coming up with a story in Hindi - with each kid taking a turn to say one sentence each. This is actually a standard improv exercise.

It worked out really well - what we recorded was actually the second story already. While Rhea was really into this exercise for jalebis (she kept count of sentences - 5 for one jalebi ;)), I think Milosh started enjoying the process more :) - it was his idea to do a second story.

Enjoy the jalebis :) Link to audio is here

Goodbyes are hard....

Milosh had a lovely summer - home with his dada and dadi.  

Posted by Anuj Malhotra on Friday, July 3, 2015

He spent a lot of time biking, playing with legos and other toys at home, he really got into writing numbers. 1000 is his new biggest number - thousand is the new 5 ;) He also got better with his Hindi! He enjoyed the fares and other such summery things. We also made a bunch of small road trips, the recent most being to Mt. Rainier national park - where we stayed in a cabin for a night. He also went to California for a week.

Time as always flies and a week after the California trip was time for his grandparents to leave. We knew he was super attached to them - and had been constantly trying to warm up his mind that he would have to say bye. He on the other hand was trying to get us to let him go to India with his grandparents. "Can I please go to aNoida for 1000 days? I will not even hit dada dadi. Will you please let me go?" As parents we constantly try to do our best for our kids - and to them we are often their ruler/ jailor - their biggest roadblock to ultimate freedom :)

I think he did know that he was not going to go but he was in a denial for a very long time. If his dadi said, we will miss you, he would pretend and say - but why. Our hearts were heavy as the bags were getting packed. Milosh got his little suitcase and placed it next to theirs - for it to get packed.

I also explained to him that we don't have a ticket for him; and we don't have enough money right now to buy the tickets. He found 6$ from where we keep change and went and put it in his dadi's pocket - saying I have put the money for tickets.

What had been my biggest fear for weeks was about to happen. He had been the king of their world for the whole summer - and the kind of love and attention grandparents can give - can not be matched. We finally reached the airport to drop them and when the luggage was unloaded from the car - he said where is my bag? I had to tell him again he can not go - he said thats okay I can get things from aNoida. I then took help from airport staff - and made them tell him that he can not go without a ticket. He kept pretending to not hear them.

Finally at security check we had to hold him back as he sobbed his hearts out; as did his daadi. It was quite a scene at the airport - and everyone was feeling emotional. They were still within reach - though in the queue - his dada kept passing chocolates to him through other people in the queue. It was awful :( - I had never seen Milosh so sad. It was physically challenging to keep him away - he kept wanting to go with them. But they had to go!

We went to the nearest starbucks to get some hot chocolate and tea. We were all feeling exhausted and empty. The next few hours felt very weird. We didn't know what to do - we often just drive when we feel like that. Milosh was surprisingly much better already and unlike what I had expected, I felt I was breaking down too. As is always the case in such transitions, my mind went through the entire exercise of why are we living in USA; why can we not let him be with his grandparents; and I give permission to my heart to miss my country, my home. And each time I feel I had a great time here in USA, but now I am ready to move back. But this time I feel like may be we are one step closer to deciding to move back.

We got home and Milosh kept wanting to talk to his grandparents. It was hard for us to explain to him that they can not talk when they are flying. "But I am only asking to talk on the phone...."  I had asked his dada dadi to record a book for him while he was sleeping, its called "God loves you and I do too."  He opened the book and was so so happy to hear their voice in the book. He kept smiling and listening to the book over and over again - and kept chuckling, kept repeating it, trying to memorize all the words, and commenting "Really dadi - you love me so much?"

Then after some time I found him hitting the book - and later he explained the book won't talk back to him - its not even saying hello back. "Why are dada dadi not even saying hello to me, I love you to me?" He said he really wanted to talk to them. He made me call up his grandparents even though they were in flight. But obviously the call was not answered. I told him, you know they are saying I love you to you - you just have to be very quiet and close your eyes and you will be able to listen to it. Children are so amazing, he did become very quiet and closed his eyes for some time :)

The next day was much better, I took him to a fair, where he had a lot of rides. The next day we were finally able to Skype with his grandparents and he showed them the whole book again - made them listen to each page :)

Tables turning already....

We have gone out several times without kids, we have left Milosh for up to 4 days with his grandparents - and he did great without mom and dad. Even though it always came with a little bit of guilt, we would be the ones enjoying (or so we think) - going scuba diving, or staying longer in Goa leaving Milosh with his dada dadi. And I knew the tables were going to turn some day (when he would be the one calling the shots and going out to enjoy and we'd be waiting for him) - but did not expect the tables to turn at the ripe age of 4!

This time Milosh's grandparents are going to California for a week - and he declared he wants to go also.  We did not really have a plan (for us) and we were not looking for baby sitting - but he really wanted to go. I tried to talk him out (so his grandparents will get some kid-free time) - I told him about his friend's birthday party, I told him we would take him to fun places etc etc. But no - he fully understood what California is - we have our Aunt there and Milosh has visited them many times. He knows he would stay there - he remembers the dog, the swimming pool, his friends there - everything. It was hard for me to make up my mind to let him go (it always is) - but he was fully convinced that he was going - and he even understands the concept of time - he knows what 6 days are. I had to finally give in.

Its funny that most couples our age would pounce at the idea of being kid free for a week - and make loads of plans - especially since we are both on a sabbatical right now even vacation is not a problem. We did go through our thought process - we thought through a few vacation ideas - but it felt too forced - going just because this seems like a golden opportunity. We decided to prioritize our interviews etc - and stay at home. (I know!!)

But someone is going to have fun - he already loves our aunt and uncle and has a fabulous time with his kids - whenever they are around; of course he would not be away from his dada dadi for even a few minutes; additionally our aunt told she has things lined up for Milosh - kids yoga, pool side party making cakes!! Icing on the cake :)

I told Milosh I will miss him - and just like I comfort him when I am going for short trips, he said the exact same things - I will miss you too. I am going for a very short time. You count till 6 and I will be back :) I sure will miss my baby - I already watched all silly videos of him on my phone and I think I might blog more this week.

When I am 100 years old....

Milosh has recently discovered 100. While he can count even beyond it, 100 symbolizes a HUGE and POWERFUL number in his mind! 

He wanted to push something and he realized he is not big enough to do it ... He can jump 3 stairs at a time but he wanted to do the entire flight .... for all of these things he believes and says "I will do this when I am 100 years old" 

The time is 10:49....

Milosh has suddenly picked up in numbers. Abacus class that he went to recently helped increase his interest and with Daada Daadi at home, he has been practicing writing numbers. Every day he writes 10 more than he did the day before - and he loves it - he wants to do it the first thing in the morning - he calls it his study time. Its funny how he says study in just the same tone as play or anything fun - its more like - now I know what grown ups call this. But for a lot of people/ grown ups - this word comes with so much baggage - and so much seriousness and determination around it. Its very refreshing to see how fresh eyes and fresh minds approach this word.

Speaking of fresh eyes, Milosh is starting to read the time - last night he said - the time is 10:49. And my immediate reaction was - great job, and you should sleep before 10:00. A part of me felt proud and a part of me sank as I realized that this is an irreversible shift - once you have known time, you are never going to not know it, and you are never going to not run your life without the awareness of time. It marks the end of timeless blissful state that kids come with. Well here's hoping he still continues to run his life on his own time :)

For now, I am glad he can still curl up and fit in my lap, and I can kiss him and hug him as long as I want; and looking into his eyes, I can tune into unbounded joy! Cherishing every moment of his childhood!

Side note, our current family favorite song is: "Love is a waste of time"

Favorite cities

Milosh is having such a wonderful time with his Daada Daadi this summer. He wants to go with them to India (to "Anoida"). While we have no plans of sending him to India, he might go on a trip to California with his grandparents. His initial reaction is he would rather go to aNoida with Daada Daadi than California.
After questioning him, I have figured out his favorite place is still home (Seattle), then its Goa (thanks to the beaches and the fun at yoga shala), then "aNoida" (Daada Daadi's home), then Chennai (Naana, Naani, Maama Maami and Jaadu's home), then its California.
I forgot to ask him about Australia where his Tayaji and Taiji are - but it has been over a year since we went - and thats over 25% of his life ago. 

3 missed swimming classes = angry mommy

Its the third week in a row that Milosh refused to go for his swim class - and we can not cancel without a one month notice. He had been doing really well, loving his classes and has progressed a lot! Suddenly, he is done. Last two times, his dad took him all the way to the pool but he will not enter the pool. Can't believe how angry I got when Milosh refused to go swimming today again. I got angry - like I wanted to throw the swim bag on the floor and bang the door and force to take him. I surprised myself with a strong tiger-mom reaction. I was so mad I thought I will not talk to him for a long time, and will not sign him up for any classes any more. Its interesting how small things like these can trigger reactions in us - uncovering some firmly placed beliefs, habits and expectations - simply because things didn't go the way we wanted them to go. To my credit, I recovered fast out of it and apologized to him. To his credit, he apologized also. Now on to strategizing the next week, which we have already paid for! 

When I grow up...

I recently took Milosh to a 7/11 close by - to get him some ice-cream - i could tell he was pretty touched - because while it did not even occur to me that I was not eating/ buying ice-cream for myself (because I am vegan its somewhat of a rare treat for me) - but he said - when I grow up I will buy you vegan ice-cream :) 

Medium family

Daadi was reading a story to Milosh - she said the story is about a good family and a bad family. Milosh said can you tell me a story about a medium family :) - kids have a lot of wisdom. 

Dirt Games

No secrets here - Milosh loves dirt. This summer has been time well spent in the yard - coming up with innovative games which somehow involve dirt and cars :) He actually dug a hole - and filled it with water - and then made a bridge with a scale - and then we had to race a car each on the bridge. Even better if the cars turns and tosses!

Things I have to do for my sugar fix.

Construction site

What a movie or a show is to a grown up, a construction site is to Milosh. We went for his swim class recently - and right outside there was a construction site. Milosh literally walked around to find a spot with a good unhindered view. And when he did, he squatted there. What the picture below does not capture is that he was holding a packet of chips - he was definitely more engaged in this than any other kids movie or play I have taken him to ;) He could have spent the day watching the construction site :) - thank goodness the construction guys take a break sometimes!

Milosh's first baseball game

This one is for the records. Thanks to Rajan chacha, we got premium seats with parking(!) at the Seattle Mariners' game.

Last time I had been to the Safeco field was when Microsoft gave us a 10 year party. After a few drinks, Anuj and I actually held hands and had sprinted a base run (the entire diamond field). We also got a baseball signed by somebody important in baseball. As you can guess, not being into baseball, I definitely felt out of place in these priced seats ;)

Milosh had been to an NFL game of Seahawks (before they won their Super Bowl)- and he had loved it. Even at the age of 2, he would insist on watching games in the field. I think getting to munch popcorn (from a packet pretty close to his height) might have had something to do with it ;)
Game food has changed a lot from what it used to be. I was expecting fries, hot dogs, pizza, popcorn and beer - and nothing else. But there were all kinds of cuisines - I infact had some sushi!

Since we were sitting right behind Angels, they were giving away some of the baseballs to kids who were asking for it. I waved and asked for a ball also for Milosh. One of the Angels guy threw one - and I passed it to Milosh. His question was - "Should I throw it back to him?" Imagine the defending champions of baseball playing catch-catch with a 4 yr old :)

The Safeco field has a provision of making a certificate for kids who make it to the game for the first time. 

Milosh's favorite part was dancing when they played some fun music during the break: Link to video
Apparently his dancing got the cameras on us - and we were on TV for some time :) - So much so for the first game! Milosh has been hitting tennis balls with sticks since that day!