On Dec 3rd Smitha gave birth to a cute baby boy name Siddhant! It was love at first sight for me ... All he did the entire day was sleep ... wake up ... fill his lil tummy ... and sleep again ... He smiled when he slept, which used to make me wonder what he dream of ... From being a mere bundle that slept with eyes shut in deep slumber he has grown to be a big boy who loves to be talked to and played with in just a span of 3 months ...
Nephews and Nieces are surely the magical things to have in ones life ... As an aunt I can spoil them and not have to be the one to worry about them becoming spoilt ... They let us relive our childhood for at least 10 years ...
Akshay was the first ever baby i saw in my life. I was a baby myself when I held this baby in my small hands. He was and will always be my first love, my baby, my darling ... Never knew he would grow up from my being my bundle of joy to a grown up boy ... The one thing I remember the most about him is the way he would hang around the kitchen while Achema cooked fish and say "Meemi ulta soja, meemi ulta soja" and the way he screamed in the temple "Soumya chechi ... Ambatti shame shame puppy shame" ... Still brings a grin on my face ...
Next born was Sree Padhmanabhan ... Although I haven't had much interaction with him the one striking thing I remember about him is his "endana bomb itto" story and the way he would say "Paavam aale" 'Paavam aale" ...
Vishnu was the next addition to our clan ... Met him very recently and what fine boy he is ... He probably has the cutest smile in the world and it is also a contagious one ... The perfect blend of innocence and mischief all rolled up into those big round mesmerising eyes just like his mom ...
Next in line was Aditya ... As a child he would always be with chechi and not let any of us pick him up ... But with age he became very close to all of us ... He used to and still is always concerned about logistics when people visit him as in where everyone would sleep, what everyone will eat and so on ... He is my sweetheart who talks with a weird accent !!
Naveen was born around my 12th standard vacation so the only image I have of him is being a small baby ... Haven't been able to interact with him much in the later years ... But one of the stories I have heard of him is how he scared Raje amma with a lighter saying he would burn her ... lol ...
Then came the first twins of the generation Ayush and Aashna ... What adorable kids they are ... I am still exploring them ... Always together in whatever they do ... the way speak, the way they do stuff everything about them is soo adorable ... I have soo many stories to tell about them but that would just run pages and pages ... Put together they surely add sugar and spice to our lives ...
Then came Riona ... Like Naveen haven't interacted much with her but i still remember how pretty a baby she was just like her mom ... Wish I could get more in touch with her in the years to come ...
Next in line was Sameera ... She was hardly a month old when I went over to Raleigh to visit her ... Once I saw her I just couldn’t stop myself from holding her tight almost every minute. She looked so cute with big black eyes and a mop of black hair ... And now she is slowly growing into a fine lady ...
Almost a year later this tiny baby called Sameera was suddenly a Big sister thanks to the arrival of Sanjana ... Our little Valetine gift wrapped in love ... She is undoubtedly small, brand new and amazingly angelic ...
Very soon a few more will be added to the list and even sooner this new generation will be all grown up ... They may not remember what they did when they were young or even realise the happiness they bought into our lives but still they would always be Soumya Cheriamma's/Valiamma's/Chachi's/Maami's darlings forever n ever and ever ...
Among the many things like joy, happiness, satisfaction, stress relief, innocence etc. that children bring into your life, one of the things they do is take you outside of yourself, force you to be less self-absorbed and more engaged with the people around you ... Children surely are an antidote to the narcissism that sometimes emerges in most of us ... Thanks to all my lovely nephews and nieces for making life so meaningful and worth living ...
