To SIddhanth..as he turns 18 months today

First of all, a very half happy birthday , my son !

Just 6 months ago, we celebrated your 1st birthday..it was so much fun..A birthday surrounded by our world- my family and your dads family. Everything just flashed in front of me when i type this..

I woke up this morning and was rushing to reach office..its the daily routine of u running carelessly around the house and your caretaker is so much nervous ( she has a hard time managing you when we are around..guess kids tantrums reaches its peak when their parents are around)..thats when your dad reminded me that you are a 18 month old baby today..ghosh !! how did i not remember :(

Last 6 months has been just fab !! You are no longer a baby, but a little boy. I didn’t think I could love you more, but I do. You warm my heart every day with your smile and laughter. You have such a good heart and spirit..you get so emotional and hug me everytime i pretend crying in front of you..I continue to foold you, my baby but guess the expressions of your concerns are so beautiful that i cannot stop enjoying them.

Your vocabulory and understanding has grown by leaps and bounds..i get amazed at how clearly you have started understanding each and every thing we speak to u whether its Malayalam or Hindi..my child, you pick up so fast !! You are better able to articulate your needs and are understanding so much more.

You sometimes get frustrated when you can’t have your way—as you sure know how to throw your tantrums on us and your poor little mom gets succumbed to them...that's when our teacher ( your dad- there's so much he teaches both of us ) comes in my rescue..He makes me strong.

You often fall on the floor ( pretend to fall but avoid when you know that there is no one to hold you ), kicking your legs, screaming as if the world is ending...Sometimes it just breaks my heart to see you so upset..Your dad is strong..am sure he would ensure that you grow up well mannered and disciplined and am here to just spoil you my baby ( i know that would never happen )

But, I confess, your tantrums always makes me smile. You are super cute even when upset. And I love you just the same

The daily dose of fights and love between the son and father is a delight to watch..cant tell you how much i enjoy seeing you both spend so much time together be it those secret walks your dad takes you to every weekends ( though i have managed to figure out that you guys have been frequenting the nearby park and spending time with the squirrels and dogs there.

Some of my favorite moments with you are when you run and throw yourself at me for a hug, do the same back again for another hug---on and on it goes.  It never grows old..not to forget the all of a sudden kisses that are bestowed on me are something i crave for 24/7.

I love the constant care that you shower on animals- your anna ( elephant in malayalam ), doggie, miam ( cats) and cows are always on your mind..these you utter when you get up first in the morning.

I have been given a lot of parenting advice over the past year and a half. The one bit that has stuck out most for me is to follow my instinct, and that is what I try to do.  I have made plenty of mistakes, but my love for you never wavers. 

Those horrible days at work turns so sweeter when i see you darling !

Being a parent is not easy, and yet you make it all worthwhile. Even on the more difficult days, you never fail to make me smile. I cannot begin to tell you how much you mean to me—how glad I am to have you in my life.

Hope you grow with a good and a kind heart and learn to respect others !

Cant tell you how important is for your mom to hear someone telling me good things about you..It really makes me a proud mother..you are no doubt a well behaved boy and am sure you would always be ..A gentlemen !

Your friend/ Your Amma.

A Trip to Mysore & Coorg

Christmas was in & we were off to Karnataka to spend some good times.Our destination trip was planned much in advance thanks to Siddhu ( my 1.5 yr old baby ) its because of him we have started those well planned trips as opposed to the impromptu ones.We crossed Mysore Madikeri road to reach Coorg ( a beauty paradise ).The place was absolutely serene and quiet with the local flavour intact.

Our stay was a part of package we booked..Stayed at Coorg Jungle Camp - a decent resort with all the basic amenities at place..the plus was definately the view..Its located in the midst of dense forest..its approximately 20 minutes drive in the middle of the jungle from the main road.The drive is very much worth the efforts with greenery around and the charm of silence.

We enjoyed the stay at Jungle Camp..they have this huge ..i mean very huge open space coupled with back water view for boating...the sunset view is truly mesmerising...Food was pretty decent with both veg & non veg options available.

Visit to Coorg becomes important primarily because of the Abbey Falls..Located near to Madikeri, Abbey Falls is a breathtaking waterfall where the Kaveri river cascades down a rockface from a height of 70 feet. A hanging bridge has now been built across the gorge here offering a good view of the falls..The noice of water fall with the silence of beauty surrounding it makes it a real treat.

Spent some good quality time at the Abbeys and proceeded to Nisargadhama, a wildlife sanctuary on its own..Its a beautiful place with some good view of Deer and boating.Dubbare is home to some more interesting activities like  Elephant training camp & Rafting,...The Tibets settlements at Kushalnagar is charming..the monastery are well made and have its own beauty.40 feet tall statues of Buddha makes you ecstatic.

A 2 hour road journey then takes you to Mysore  (or Mysuru) ..The majestic city holds a lot of attraction and its a sheer treat for tourists.It has abundance of beauty all around be it the Monumental palace or the beautiful people of Mysore..so simple and rooted to their traditions...I must admit that one would unarguably fall in love with their culture.We stayed in Pai Vista group of hotel which has all the basic amenities at place.The hotel is right at the centre of the mysore city letting you direct access to places like Mysore Palace & St Philomina Church is also a 10 min drive from the hotel.Mysore Zoo, another treat for animal lovers and particularly for the kids...My baby had an awesome time at the zoo..we spent almost half a day at the Zoo...Wide range of Wide species is officially called as  Shri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens.A route to Chamundi Hills gives you a complete aerial view of Myore ( must tell you ..its looks absolutely magnificent ) ..Chamundeshwari Temple which has a lot of significance and a huge crowd of devotees surrounding the place also has a Brahmakumari Musuem adjacent to it.

The world famous ' Mysore Palace' is just splendid...Beauty at its best..words cannot justify the amazing visual treat it provides.We were in total awe of the ambience and the aura at the palace.

There are various other tourist prominent locations which we unfortunately could not cover in our short trip 2.5 days but yes we did promise to come back to this beautiful city very soon...It has definately created a great impact on us.