Wait a minute, jumping from 11 months to 13 months directly? What happened to 12 months update? Well, the ever so important 12th month milestone came and went and yeah, I did not update. I am still a novice when it comes to balancing home and work and I still have to learn that art. After a month of being a full-time employee, I feel I am not doing justice to either work or home. When I am at work, I worry about what my baby is doing and feel guilty for leaving him back at home. When I am home, I feel bad for not paying enough attention at work. In the midst of all this, blogging takes the least priority.

Anyway, so what happened on Ninad’s birthday? We had a quiet, family affair where we cooked some good food and enjoyed with close friends and family. Ninad had a few friends come over (all below the 12 months mark) and they had a great time. There were 5 babies in all and they made sure we felt their presence. My house resembled a day care center and it was fun.

Ninad has become a big boy now, officially a toddler and he is making sure I know it. Overnight, he has transformed into this stubborn, troublesome monster of a kid and I wonder where my innocent and sweet child is. He gets mad if he doesn’t have his way. He realizes that I go away somewhere in the morning and won’t let go of me whenever I am around. It feels nice in a way, but I dread when that day will come when I have to go to work with tears in my eyes.

Ninu can officially ‘talk’ now, even though it’s just three words. He can say ‘Amma’, ‘Pa’ and ‘Ka’, the latter means crow, by the way. He sometimes say ‘bhoo’, meaning dog, but I don’t know if it is an accident or he actually means it.

My in-laws and my sister-in-law’s kids paid us a visit during Christmas vacation. My sister-in-law’s daughter took an instant liking to Ninad and it was mutual. Ninad just adores her and he would go behind her wherever she went. The little girl, all of 7 years, was so full of sisterly love that she would volunteer to watch Ninad when I was busy in the kitchen. She would sit with him and show him toys, sing songs and tell him stories. She even picked up a few Kannada words so that she could converse well with Ninad. The two little sister-brother pair, sitting there together, getting to know each other and showing affection – it was a sight to watch. Such strong was the attachment that on the day they left, the little girl went back crying. I felt bad for her and Ninad. She has promised to spend her summer vacation here. Hope that works out. Ninad would love to have his sister over.

That’s about it. Ninad is growing each day, learning new things and teaching me new things. Sometimes I wish he grows up fast and becomes independent so that I can go to work with no guilty feeling. On some days I feel he should be this sweet little child forever and never grow up.