Vocabulary improvement

 My younger daughter is on a roll these days ... she barely talked except for unintelligible words like dadada, tama, kabakaba, bubbaayeeee etc along with some sensible words like amma, abba (for appa), nana etc. For the past month and a half, she has added several words to her talking list including togoli (take it), All done, (soon after her bath is done) Chikki, Chitatata (chikkappa), kakka, poo poo, illa, beda, yethkoli, alli etc. Sometimes she surprises us with words like Barolla, Kodalla ...

 She is one smart girl who understands almost everything we tell her and communicates in her own way. Observing her interaction with her sister is the most interesting passtime for me and hubby.

 She usually sleeps by herself after dinner when she is in her bed and is given her white blanket. But yesterday, she saw me with her sister and insisted on joining us in the fun. It felt lovely to have both my girls on either side of me. They crawled all over me and I felt like a lioness with her cubs .... but that didn't last too long since both wanted my exclusive attention. Nonetheless the experience was just lovely ! 

Death

It happened again ... the phone rang in the middle of the night ... the news was the same ... a family member's death ... the person this time my cousin ... my doddappa's son.

 I cannot begin to say how much shocked I am. I interacted with him just a few days back during my India visit ... he had no health problems. He had just gone to cheer his daughter participating in a Table Tennis match ... had just written down 12 participants' names .. was writing the 13th one's name when he just collapsed ... and he was gone .. just like that. No words .. no good byes ... gone !

 The family is shattered to say the least ... and is in deep shock.

I feel helpless ... frustrated and pained.

India Vacation

Highlights of my recent trip (July 9 - Aug 2) to India

* Daddy seeing my second daughter for the first time

* Me travelling / vacationing with kids (and MIL) without hubby accompanying us for the first time

* Meeting close family

* Missing to meet close friends (had plans ... but kid falling sick ruined the plans)

* Hogging on home made food (Bisi bele bhath, obbattu, plum cake, nippattu, tengolu, chomai, rumali roti, shalya anna, dry fruits milkshake, jolada rotti, basundi etc etc)

* Visiting new / renovated house of every single relative I visited

* Visit Mysore zoo after decades ... visit Chamundi hills

* Shop every single day of my stay in Mysore.

And what did I like best? Well ... just being in my house with my parents in Mysore !