11.December.2013 - 11:04 AM, 11:05 AM.
The exact time a year ago today, 2 Angels decided to be part
of our lives thereby making every possible aspect of it more meaningful and
beautiful.
That you turned out to be a Girl and a Boy made it much more
thrilling than we could have ever imagined.
People often said - A complete family in one shot!!
(Disclaimer: Our family would have been complete even if we had 2 Riaans or 2
Rivikas).
We always maintained that we wanted 2 healthy babies no
matter the sex. And we thank God every single day for that.
But that's not the point now. The point is that it is your
First Birthday and it means 365 wonderful, tense, funny, fantastic and
emotional days have passed since you first cried your way into our world - and more importantly, became our world.
Time has flown so quickly and memorably that words will not
be enough to justify the joys that you brought for us (but I will still try). I
know, I am being too wordy and adjective-heavy, but I promise, this is only for
your First Birthday. I will find other ways to embarrass you in time for your
2nd one.
That you have graduated with distinction into Toddler-hood
gives us immense happiness and we pray you continue your journey to becoming a
successful Playback Singer and a Sportswoman (you didn't expect me to forget
this part, did you??).
To have made it this far in all your glory, credit must be
given to your Grandparents and above all, your Mom. They have made major
sacrifices in all aspects of their lives to raise you two. I have been a bit
player in this Opera so far being away for work most days when you were at your
active best. Because of this, I have only been able to experience your growth
and antics via photos, videos and hearsay while Mom and Grandparents were able to enjoy
it first hand. It is not easy managing twins and that too when you started
scrambling around the house in all possible directions. Mom has juggled her
professional life around your growth and despite you giving her some tough
nights, she has done her absolute best and nothing but. That she has given you some tough love is another matter altogether.
Thank them for all the work they did for you (and continue
to do) - feed you, bathe you, change diapers, get all your meds for you and into you - whether you liked the taste
or outright showed your displeasure, put you to sleep, stay awake with you when
you decided it was playtime at 3 AM.
By the way, you should know when you read this that we
celebrated your birthday in 2 parts. AstroLOGICALLY speaking, the first was on
Monday, December 1st, when we had your Ayushyahomam (Star) at home with proper
Tamilian rituals. Today, Thursday, December 11th, literally/LOGICALLY speaking is your Birthday, so we planned a small
get-together just for select family and friends of Amma, Appa, Paati, Thatha,
Ajja and Ajji. We decided against a large gathering in fear of Rivika's discomfort
in the company of grown strangers and that rubbing off on Riaan making it a
Birthday Party MINUS the Birthday Boy and Girl. And in any case, you both are
too small to understand that people are coming to meet you, and bless you.
What I have done is through the course of your first year, I
have posted various anecdotes and quirky behaviors displayed by you both on "something" called FaceBook (this Social Network was a big deal in 2014 - who knows what will you be on when you grow up!!). They
are in chronological order so that you know what you did while you reached your
first major milestone of your lives. Consider it - The Greatest Hits of Your
Debut Album.
Rivika and Riaan: Happy Birthday My Loves. Thank you
for choosing us to be your parents. This is my proudest moment as your father. May you have the best of health and the most fun growing up!! God Bless You 2.
-------------------------
April 2014
So my son - all of 4 months - does a thing
today that should create a chuckle amongst the men and a look of disgust among
the women folk. He has started lifting his legs recently and a few mins back -
while trying other things, let out a fart knowing he did it. The wry smile that
followed showed that underneath the cute exterior is a weapon of mass
destruction capable of being unleashed without notice.
Subtle, he is not!!!
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June 2014
At the tender age of 6 months, my daughter
checked off one the 7 deadly sins - Envy. The crankiness evident on her face
when I was playing with my son said it all. The moment I stopped, she gave out
a wry smile.
No such issues with my son. However, if
there were an 8th deadly sin - 'Least Bothered' - my son would simply OWN that
one hands down.
Happy parenting with Kirti Rajesh
I am afraid my son is turning into a mini
Luis Suarez. Not only is he putting everything in the vicinity of 2 feet in his
mouth, he is biting the hell out of them.
My finger feels like Giorgio Chiellini's
shoulder - temporary bite marks and all, you know the Italian player because of
whom Luis is out of the world cup.
FIFA is about to ban my son who has not
even started walking yet, let alone have his first tooth protrude out of his
gums.
Growing pains with Kirti Rajesh!!
-------------------------
July 2014
With the twins nearing 7 months, their
choice of food is getting clear.
They both are going to love Non-veg and
the Brahmin Blood in them has just got to look the other way.
They love chomping at fingers - relishing them
like actual kebabs, heck - even toys like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse are
their favs, rather than some lame fruits like orange or strawberry.
Fake brahmins they are going to turn out
to be, just like someone I know very closely.
No prizes for guessing!!
Kirti Rajesh is grinning.
-------------------------
August 2014
So I head over to Kirti Rajesh's place a few hours back and I hear my baby girl crying in the bedroom. The lights are switched off and my M-I-L is trying to put Rivika to sleep, who is literally bawling.
I enter the room and she looks at me. It
takes a second for the cries to stop and the sweetest dimpled smile to appear.
And did I mention my son Riaan who is
normally the cautious one - even with me, crack open a wide grin the moment he
laid his eyes on me.
I don't know who is truly overjoyed to see
whom. But I am blessed to have babies like these two angels.
What a start to the weekend.
To,
My dear co-inhabitant in Mom's tummy
separated by a wall for 9 months and now my room-mate for the past 8 months.
Wish you a very happy first Raksha
Bandhan and many many more to come.
Do promise and ensure to protect me always
or else Dad will kick your butt until we are small and then I will.
I love you lots Riu. To the best
brother in the whole wide world.
XOXOXO a.k.a Hugs n Kisses
Riku
Riku
Rakhi 101 with Kirti.
-------------------------
September 2014
My daughter is going to be an
"OutStanding" person wherever she goes.
Case in point: Whenever we go 'Out',
she only wants to 'Stand'.
#Irefusetosit
You know whoever said raising twins is
hard, knew what they were saying.
But they missed saying a key point. As
in the pure joy they bring to our lives.
After a long day at work when you are
dead tired and want to reach home to your kids, you see one of them is just
cranky enough to not want to be in your arms, whereas you turn around to see
the other one with open arms and a look in their eyes that screams, 'just pick
me up already, will ya!!'
The hug that follows?? Ah, Heaven on
Earth
And when both drop their stupid toys
down to come running towards you - Indescribable!!
#Twomuch
With the kids turning 9 months old, their
behaviors are getting unique, nuttier and unsurprisingly, crazier. Due to this,
their schooling choices are almost set in stone.
My daughter, being the angel that she is,
will definitely be going to an "International
School
On the other hand, my son, being the
anti-angel that he is turning out to be, is definitely going to
a...."Boarding School". Ah, the yelling is not going away
anytime soon!!
Having said that, both drive Kirti nuts at times
so bad, that she would like them to be in an "International Boarding"
School. As in far far away.
As for herself when the antics are in full
swing, I bet sometimes she wishes that she could go to a different planet. Now,
if only, ISRO could successfully complete a Mars Mission . Oh wait!!
#Toocutetobetrue #donttrythisathome
-------------------------
October 2014
So Rivika has developed a vocabulary that
goes in reverse. She started with 'Kh' to 'Gaey' and today, the tape recorder
was playing 'Eeeeee'. Surely by her first birthday, she will blurt out an 'A'
or a spectacular version of it.
Riaan, on the other hand, still has
not moved past Bhaigiri, that is, his recorder is still stuck at 'Aye, Aye'.
#wearelikethisonly
#wearelikethisonly
On this very auspicious occasion of the Festival of Lights, Kirti Rajesh and I
wish you and your families a Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year.
Most importantly, this year, 2 additional VIPs would like to extend their warmest wishes and regards to all our friends as well.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Rivika and Riaan!!!
As one started standing up on its own, it seems the dimpled smile doesn't appear until the applause begins and fades away only after ALL eyes have looked the other way.
Attention seeker this one is. No
prizes for guessing which one I am talking about.
The other, well let's just say, would
walk over the first one as if its an obstacle course.
Isn't it obvious which one this is?
#lookatme #idontcarewhoyouare
-------------------------
November 2014
Another one of R2's behavioral quirks.
Picture this.
I go to my in-laws after 4 days where
the kids are. As soon as they see me, they take a moment to gather their
thoughts and then crack a smile.
However, as soon as their eyes meet the
colorful toy that I brought for them, they make a dash for it as if it was a
lifesaver.
Daddy who, they might say.
On top of this, after playing with the
toy for about couple of minutes, when I call out for them, Rivika comes running
to daddy dearest while Riaan gets pulled deeper and deeper into the
materialistic world. He doesn't give a rat's ass whether someone is calling him
or not. He continued to play with the toy.
He is like this Energizer Bunny who
kept going on and on
But, the moment you say 'Bye Bye'; Oh
boy, is that his trigger or what. The arms open as if he were SRK and you his
Kajol!!
#boyswillbeboys #daddysgirl
One of the most frequently used words my
kids hear is NO.
As in...
NO putting finger/pen/fluffy toys in
the mouth.
NO putting finger through the electrical socket.
NO pulling flowers/leaves.
NO poking pen in the face/eye.
NO pulling Riaan's hair.
NO stamping on Rivika's head.
NO beheading the doll.
NO eating the doll's leg.
NO putting finger through the electrical socket.
NO pulling flowers/leaves.
NO poking pen in the face/eye.
NO pulling Riaan's hair.
NO stamping on Rivika's head.
NO beheading the doll.
NO eating the doll's leg.
You get the idea and the increasing
severity of barbaric actions.
There are some other unmentionable
actions as well that will stay away from the social domain for all of eternity.
That's the most difficult NO item of all. Men will understand and certain Moms
of boys will too!!
These two, growing up, will think that
they were raised in North
Korea and so I expect a lot of (pent up)
rebellion in the years to come. God save us!! #dontsayNO
With the kids about to graduate from
Infant to Toddler status in less than a months time, we see them responding to
words and sentences.
It so happens that their father talks
in Tamil (or an undocumented/unreliable version of it) (don't laugh), mother
talks in Tulu (OK, laugh), nanny talks in Marathi, they are raised in an
environment that has Hindi sprinkled around and growing up in a cosmo city like
Mumbai where English is liberally used.
With 5 languages that they will apparently
master (or at least I hope they do), I am glad if nothing else works out
career-wise, there will always be good ol' Tourist Guide position up for grabs.
Watch out; the good people of the
Hindi Heartland, Maharashtra, Goa , Karnataka
& Tamil Nadu!!! You will be mesmerized. #mindyourlanguage #hopethisdaynevercomes #gaatarahemeradil
These kids, I tell you...
Like good parents that we are
(clearing throat), we bought them couple of Mickey/Minnie Mouses after long
deliberations whether to buy them or not.
And the moment they laid their hands
and eyes on the soft toys, the expression was nothing short of pure joy (pure
joy is the same for infants and adults alike - that is genius). That made for a
good 2-3 photos and video clips.
Oh well, the euphoria lasted maybe 5
minutes - I am being very generous here.
And yes, they will happily point to
where Mickey is hung on the wall unit when you ask both, "Mickey
Engey?"
Within no time, they discarded the new
ones and went back to their old favorites - a blue scoop from their formula
box, a plastic lid of a box and a dirty old soft toy that has been chewed on
for God knows how long.
With this in mind, these 2 will not
know what New Toys are in the near future. They don't care anyways - except
when they do and scream their lungs out for one.
They are literally, "Old"
school. Do you think they will like a puppy if we get them one? Maybe if it
were used.
#twintales
December 2014
We started dressing up these two in
Onesies (again) for the winter (and that too after a long gap) and I must say,
they look too cute with their small bellies protruding out :). They
sometimes keep patting their tummies for no reason other than the fact that they
can see them sticking out.
Previously, their
attire of our choice were vests (banians) and the shortest of shorts during
summer and monsoon. One look and you would feel like you've seen them somewhere
- like right outside any station (you know what I mean if you've traveled by a
Mumbai local before).
So the most incredible thing happens a
short while ago, prior to one of the most important milestones of his young
life.
The Big Guy takes his first few unassisted steps - complete
with a 100 Watt smile and a Zombie style walking pattern.
And as we scramble to get a video, we realize one thing.....
Bugger is stark freakin' naked. There goes
the photo-op chance for us. Poof!!!
He will hate me for sharing this on a
public platform, but heck, he pays the price for this "misstep".
------------------------
YEAR #TWO BEGINS!!!! God only knows what's in store. Can't Wait!!
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