India trip approaches

Just one week away now.

Naina's got a new pouch (an ergo, mind you, very stylish, Deepti's able to carry Naina on her back and front and hip). Naina's also got a 10 kg luggage allowance. Phew. Well, actually I am so against heavy luggage it is not funny, but were splitting everything as evenly as possible so fingers crossed no suitcase will weigh more than 15 kg.

I think it's been in our minds since September or even longer so it feels great to be almost there.

Highlights will include:

• Staying in a hotel and not having to do dishes... thank you Maurya and Star Grand.
• Seeing my grandmother and introduce Naina to her great grandmother, per-dadi.
• I'm having a intensive massage treatment for my back neck and hips. It turns out it will cost$30 per massage, but I'm hoping for some relief from work induced stress and aches
• Some shopping in Ranchi (mental note - jeans, shirts, trousers)
• South Indian and North Indian feeding frenzy. I think the plan is: South Indian, Veg Nth Indian, South Indian, some Malaysian and Singaporean on the plane and in Singapore and Malaysia and then more South Indian and North Indian. A full trip to the culinary corners of the world.
  
• Deepti's family meeting Miss N and Miss N rocking their world. Deepti's family are in for a screaming shock....
  
• A side excursion for me when I'm coming back to a conference in Singapore

We're all excited and almost ready to go. We even did a practice pack today. Naina's excited, she even helped in her own way (read, she grabbed whatever we put into her suitcase, pulled it out, started trying to stretch it and then started squealing/screaming). Her voice has unexpectedly gained shrill and strength.

Green and Catherine's wedding

And then the wedding.

Green and Catherine have been together so long I can't remember them NOT being together. This was elaborated on by Green's brother-in-law, father-in-law and best man. Read, everyone.

Great day, we're so happy for both of them, there was no way we could miss this event.

Weddings demand baby show off. Bron pointed out that all those with more than two kids didn't bother bringing their kids to the wedding. Boredom or fatigue must strike.

So being our first, we dressed N up in the latest Ranchi lahenga (blouse and skirt) for babies. These dresses are stylish, down to exposed belly button Bollywood style.

Hapy family - gorgeous daughter, beautiful wife, husband and father looking hungover.

Did I mention it was hot in Perth. It stunk. We hadn't had a hot day in Melbourne like that since March 2008. I had vacillated about taking N, I went against my better judgement and took her with us.

Hamish bonding with Naina
- kept giving back her biscuit when she dropped it (he's hired)

Andrew, Eva, Benita

Catherine looked stunning.

Yeah it doesn't look hot right?

Ceremony was at Tropical Grove, between Hackett Hall and Reid Library.

This is the last photo I have of the wedding. I think Green and Catherine are married, but I can't be sure. N lost the plot and started screaming because of the live classical music being played and the heat and her dress. We ran shame faced and slightly disgruntled from the scene.

Sorry guys.

Anyway, we left N with Mum, Dad and Anveeta and apparently she settled well enough as can be expected for a baby who is not really used to spending much time at night with anyone else apart from Deepti or me.

The reception was great as were the speeches. Tobes did the best man brilliantly, and Green admitting to stealing a flower for Catherine from Mrs Butt's own garden left most of the crowd in stitches.

Deepti notes that Indian weddings are a social event for an extended family and the family expect to be fed well (hence days and days of ceremonies and eating - everyone gets a role and a feed). Watch Monsoon Wedding for a feeling. Western weddings tend to feature small but highly artistic food preparation and be very quick

(Yes, that's the end of the ceremony, itna jaldi (that quick)? hah jee (yes dear)

Anyway, glad to say that Catherine and Green's wedding left us pogged, literally gut busted, with canapes, mushrooms, lamb rack, desert and wedding cake. Deepti was suitably impressed.

All hail the wedding cake

Perth 2009

Flew over on Friday. Our last few trips have been relatively pleasant affairs. A littl bit of ooh ahh and then sleep or playing. Sadly, this trip was a little rougher - N woke after half an hour and cried monumentally for 40 minutes. After that, she was great. We think she woke because of turbulence and then was scared and cold in the plane. But after a while she settled down and even got sleepy. She was then coaxed into sleep in the car as we approached home (always the way) and promptly fell asleep till the morning.

Yeah right. Too msny exciting people playing, dancing, singing, laughing meant a very late night for N. I'm not sure she's ever had that late night.

But the next few days was spent by the pool (her bub bathers were drying but were placed on her shortly after):

Standing and positioning, food as well

N's other new trick is standing and positioning. Our house isn't quite as baby friendly as some, but the fact we don't have wooden or concrete surfaces I think makes it more friendly than others.

However, Naina seems to be drawn or knows the location of the most dangerous object in reach. The first was cables - any cables. Then came metal grates (bottom of heater, bottom of dryer). Then came the futon in the lounge room with the pointy wooden base and finally the coffee table with the metal edges and the pointy wooden bits. She's managed to hurt herself near everyone of those. SHe opened a cupboard in the kitchen but was more shocked and scared by this than anything else and hasn't replicated... yet. THe fridge is also interesting.

I digress. She's got to the stage where she pulls herself up on things. This past week has seen various fall overs whilst lifting herself up to futon and crawling on to it, reaching for phone on coffee table (what is it about phones?) and the latest obstacle at my parent's house, stairs. She's managing to crawl over to the stairs, lift herself up, and pull herself, using the next step as balance up a level. She went up two steps today.

N's quite vocal when she has mango, or chicken bones in her hands. Photos don't quite do her justice. I'll work out how to upload a YouTube vid and demonstrate. People lose interest after eight minutes. Bottom teeth make guest appearance in first shot.

Chicken drumstick bone in hand -
no chance of becoming "Lifelong Vegetarian"

N demanded the bigger piece.

After a while, we just gave in.

Changes - speed and strength

But as this blog is about N, I digress.

N's changed a lot since the Canberra trip. She's suddenly developed speed and strength. She follow's Deepti and I around the house.

Our first discovery of this was post-massage, Deepti would go start the bath down the hall. N would normally contentedly play, sing, roll, sit up. She''d play with nearby objects. What a wonderful way to relax after a massage I hear you saying. Someone has oiled you up with the finest Tez (pronounced Tej) refined Mustard Oil, what better way to just relax. The mustard oil taste great in a curry, but sometimes makes N look like she's part of a salad. A great tasting salad, I must admit.

So in the last two weeks, N's started galloping down the hallway to the bathroom. I'm impressed. I wouldn't expect her to form associations that quickly. Perhaps I magnify; perhaps she's just curious where food has gone. I don't know what that makes me and why she follows me. My instinct says its because I don't tell her off when she pinches my lips.

Fatigue

Fatigue's been getting the better of Deepti Naina and myself. We've been pushing ourselves to get things done before the Canberra trip (Naina's India visa, discussions on formula), Perth trip (Deepti's Malaysia visa, medical checks and reviews, tickets) and then INdia trip (the list is so long, I don't even know where to start).

My work has decided to become the bad guy in Terminator 2 (have you seen this boy? holds up picture of me at age 34). And unfortunately, there's no one saying, come with me if you want to live. I worked through Christmas, New Year and even chucked in a Sunday at the community pharmacy to make things just that little more stressful.

Trudging around shopping hypemarkets like Chadstone with a $1000 gift card courtesy of tax paying individuals didn't help this fatigue. The computer also died, I'm trying to increase my fitness and selling Canberra property has made it probably the most physically and mentally draining month of our married life.

I think all three of us are looking forward to India and chilling for a week in Ranchi and although Patna won't be as relaxing, we're staying at the same hotel we stayed when we got married, which will be noice.

Computer malfunction

Breakdown of PC led to no update this week. And we're off to Perth on Friday so not sure how much of an update on Ms N there will be until Tuesday next week.

The computer is barely fixed by the way. Considering it didn't cost me anything (they gave me a new power cable for free as well), I think it was money well spent.