While Shubham & I put up the tree, Tanay & Dhruv were busy having a game of their own. Here are some Holiday smiles for you!

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!!

Dear Whoever- is- in- charge- of -popping out- teeth,

Put an end to the torture. GET THE TOOTH OUT ALREADY!!

Saturday was a day for a number of “firsts“. Some very exciting “firsts“.

1. It snowed for the first time this season.

2. We braved the snow and went to NYC for a holiday party! Wooot! (We were this close to spending the evening at home in our fleece jammies.)

3. I dressed up! And I mean dressed up enough to care how I look. Now this is not the first time in my life, but definitely the first time in a really long time. So it counts!

4. It was Dhruv’s first snow. And did he spend it all curled up at home next to the fire place?! NO SIR! He got dressed in his woolen jumpsuit and his uber cute Robeez booties and headed to the city for a party. Yes, that was another first!

5. Tanay is not to be left behind in this “firsts” race. I called a sitter. FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! And he did AWESOME!!! I am so excited!

May this trend continue this holiday season!!

Mr. Thumb Sucker will now be known as Mr. Toe Sucker.

Here’s the video I promised. Enjoy!

A couple of months ago, Dhruv & I went to pick Tanay from school. Just as we were entering the class, another parent was there with her toddler. The kid came up to Dhruv and gave out a mini scream. The mom immediately apologised and began explaining to the kid that screams like those could scare a baby like Dhruv. Now, only if she knew Dhruv & his older brother Tanay, she would have never bothered.

Not only is Dhruv used to hearing screams, and not just any screams, the mind numbing types, he very much enjoys them. After all he has been exposed to them ever since he was just a tiny peanut, all cozy in my belly. In fact, I am pretty certain that he can actually identify the various dinosaur screams based on their category and names.

In the last few weeks, Dhruv has gotten more and more vocal. And the first sound that came out of his mouth was, you guessed it, a scream! These days, he has been exposed to a different kind of a scream…. rather a yell. A karate “Kiaaaaaaaa”. Tanay goes for karate almost every day and Dhruv is a silent spectator at the class. Sitting there in his car seat, he is constantly watching his brother’s every single move. He is so focused that I am worried that the Sensei may actually start charging me for two kids. The other day, Dhruv was sitting in his high chair and Tanay was practicing his karate, when for every “kiaaaa” that Tanay let out, Dhruv threw back a similar sounding scream at him. Quite entertaining, I must say. Of course I got it on tape. Just need to do some editing work on it. In the meantime, here is a video of Dhruv & me having a tiny scream fest of our own.

First it was a Vampire…. then… a Tiger…

Wonder what it will be next time…..

On the auspicious day of Diwali, over his morning cup of milk, Tanay made an announcement -

“When I grow up, I want to be a vampire!“

And how do I know that he was not kidding?! He gulped down his glass of milk only after pretending that it was blood. Shudder!

Now tell me, how can I not be scared?!

Tanay has been taking his new role, that of a big brother, rather seriously. The other day, he decided that it was time to teach Dhruv the ten basic rules for surviving in today’s difficult times. Whether Dhruv understood any……. only time will tell.

(Warning: It’s kinda long…. so be patient. Trust me… you won’t be disappointed!)

WATCH & LEARN!

Overheard, this morning at the kitchen table, Tanay saying to my dad,

“I am going to the bathroom now and when I come back, I don’t want to see a single drop of tea left in your cup!”

No prizes for guessing where he gets that from.