A fresh start

As I watched Sahiti learn to splash water in her bath this morning, I realized how far we had come from the day I had held her in the hospital for the first time. It dawned on me how I have no account of the past seven months except for my fading memory. I am busy with Sahiti during the day and tired at night. But I know now is the time to record her story before it slips out of my memory. Since my life has mostly been about Sahiti for the past seven months, I decided to start a new blog for her. Please go over to http://sahititangirala.wordpress.com/ to read more about her. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy reading about her antics as much as I enjoy writing.

The 2 or 3 people who read my blog know me offline as well and are aware of who Sahiti is. If you don't and are wondering what happened to me since my blog is still stuck in the first trimester of my pregnancy, Sahiti is the answer. She is our little girl born on the 20th of October 2010 at 1.46pm.  Go over to the new space for more on her.

The pregnancy update

Here is a quick update on how the pregnancy is progressing so far:

• At 17 weeks and 4 days, I finally feel like I have my energy back. I do have the occasional bouts of laziness but none of that dead tired feeling every morning.  
• My biggest concern has been my weight. For the first time ever, I am worried about not gaining enough weight. Pregnancy guides tell me I should have gained at least 4-5 pounds by now, but I have not registered even a a single additional pound on that scale, yet.
• It seems like I have developed some kind of photophobia. Every time I step outside into bright sunlight, I have a brain splitting headache. 
• I do not have a noticeable baby bump. I am still at that, "is she pregnant or just fat" stage. 
• My boobs have quit being the bitches they were for the past couple of months. And I must say I am enjoying the extra cleavage :)
• Everyday, the first thing I do when I wake up is rub my belly to see if I can feel that firmness in my lower abdomen, which I think is my womb.
• My mom asks me every other day if I felt the baby move yet. Honestly, I have no idea. I don't know what to look out for. I probably felt the baby move but did not know it was the baby.
• I am waiting for the genetic screening test results to come back. I hope the results are nothing bad and that our baby is safe and healthy.
• We have the option of finding the gender of the baby in two weeks. So far we want to find out to be better prepared. Part of me also wants that huge Surprise.

On a side note, it was such an eventful week for us. JG got a fantastic job offer. He actually had two job offers and he made a decision yesterday after a lot of drama and bollywood style twists. In the end, he thinks he made a very bold and risky choice, something that he believes he would love in the future. I really hope he is right. Also, we just finished booking a trip to Toronto. It was a work trip for JG, to give an invited lecture, which I tagged along and converted into a 5 day vacation. Apparently, a vacation while expecting a baby is called BabyMoon. Who knew! I am super excited about the trip and can't wait for the last week of May to get here soon enough.

How I met your father....

My dearest Baby Gult,

It has been 6 years since I met JG, your daddy-to be and I figured, if you've got any of my genes, you would be curious as a cat to find out how your parents met each other. So here is the story.

Like any other respectable couple, we began our relationship being "just good friends". It was August 2003 and I just started grad school as a wide eyed and home sick twenty something. And JG, he was new in town too, but he had the experience of negotiating through coursework, research work, managing to have a life outside the lab and other such fun things you get to do in graduate school. Also, he just got himself a shiny new car. So overall, JG was the decent guy material that good girls were expected to hang out with. The first few months, we were really just friends. You know, meeting for the occasional coffees, lunches and dinners. A semester ended and the brutal winter began. No, no, the cold and the snow did not make me horny; the winter just made me lonelier and more home sick than ever.

I had trouble waking up in the mornings for my 8am class, navigating my way through piles of snow to and from school and a terrible time cooking for myself and being alone in the apartment. Somehow, JG always came to my rescue. He would give me a wake up call every single day (I know, alarm clocks were invented by then), he picked me up from school when I had to stay back late finishing stuff and made Maggi for me when there was no food in my refrigerator. By the end of the winter, we were spending more time with each other than away.

One beautiful Spring evening, we decided to go to a nearby pond for a walk. Sometime during the walk, we instinctively held hands, like it was the most natural thing to do. And it got me thinking about us, about where all of this was going and such. We decided to meet after dinner to watch TV together (didn't I tell you we were spending a lot of time together, besides, there was no TV in my apartment). Sometime during a commercial break (yes, even life changing moments need to wait for commercial breaks) in an episode of Law and Order, I asked him where all of this was going and what it meant. Without missing a beat he told me that he thought the world of me and would like for nothing to change between us. Ok, honestly, I don't remember the exact words, but I guess the feeling is more important, right? I was not expecting this confession and was taken aback. I promptly left saying I needed some time to think about it. 

Come weekend, JG invited me to go on drive to the nearby mountains and spend the day with him. After driving for about an hour, we reached a beautiful place in the Berkshires with winding roads, a little river flowing next to the road, lush green trees and bright sunshine. Of  course, there were also ugly naked people sun bathing, but we chose to ignore them. We parked the car and took a walk along the river on wet pebbles. We finally settled down on a huge rock. The sound of slow flowing water and the serenity of the place,suddenly made everything clear. I realized that next to him was my favorite place to be then and forever. And I gathered the courage to tell him just that. What followed was a confessional about our past and quick agreement on what we expect from the future. And just like that, on May 1st 2004, we moved a step ahead from being good friends to a couple. The rest as they say is history and a story for another day. 

Lots of love 

Your Amma-to be, who cannot wait to hold you.

My dearest JG, Congrats for sticking around with me for 6 years! It was been a super fun ride so far and I look forward to the many many more turns on this roller coaster by your side. Love, NM.

I have been diagnosed....

...with the Egyptian flu. 

   Yes, yes, yes my dearest dearies, I am going to be a MUMMY in less than six months!!!

The news came as a surprise to me one Monday morning. The Saturday before that, John Gult (JG) and I went on a moderately strenous hike and I could barely move a muscle next day. Come Monday, I still had a  funny feeling in my stomach and suddenly out of nowhere, I decided to take a pregnancy test. The next thing I know, I was bawling my eyes out in the bathroom. You know how all your life you dream of something but when the moment of truth comes, you are so unprepared for it , you are left clueless? That is kind of what happened to me. 

   We weren't actively in the baby making business, but we were aware we that were not doing anything to not make a baby either. Also, at some level, both JG and I had a feeling that it would never happen to us; don't ask me why. It took a couple of more tests, a visit to the doctor's office and a few weeks for the news to slowly sink in. To be honest, we are both still scared of what is going to happen and we doubt our parenting abilities everyday. But for now, we have decided to sit back and enjoy the ride and wait for a certain little person to teach us everything!

   I have known this news for about 2 months now and it took me so long to come to terms with the idea completely and to gather the courage to post it here; especially since I have been MIA for the past so many months. I discontinued blogging because a few of my real-life friends found me online and had discussed the blog with me offline, which made me self-conscious and  re-evaluate every sentence I typed out  here. But now that I am going through this incredible experience, I wanted to make a record of it, irrespective of the audience. Besides, we all know mommy bloggers are the most popular kind!

   So all you parents, bring on your wisdom. And the yet-to be parents, please pray that I don't turn into one of those obsessive pregnant women who refuse to talk about anything but their pregnancy. And of course, any baby name suggestions you may have will be greatly appreciated.

A how-to guide...

...to love Anurag Kashyap's movies.

1. Read as much about the movie before watching it as possible. You want to know all the character names, motives and metaphors beforehand. Preferably, straight from the horse's mouth.
   
2. Make sure to watch the movie with plenty of lights on. If you are watching at a cinema, request the manager to keep the lights on. If you catch the movie at home, make sure you have all your windows open and/or lights on.
3. Get yourself something to drink. Not those sodas or juices. I mean the real stuff. You will need at least a couple of shots of espresso to keep yourself awake through the movie.
4. Glue your eyelids to your eyebrows. When watching Anurag Kashyap, you cannot afford to blink.
   
5. When possible keep the closed captions turned on. Of course, keep the volume as high as you can possibly manage.
   
6. After all of this, chances are you might not have really understood the movie. Now go back and repeat steps 1 to 5 a few more times to actually "get" the movie. And once you do, you are bound to love the movie.
   
7. Now head over to one of those IMDB discussion boards to compare your interpretation against everyone else's.
8. Oh, and throughout the process, dont forget to enjoy the superb music.
   

Caption this

Picture courtesy: High Heel Confidential

My take

Saif: "Nice rack baby!"
Kareena: "Really? And what do you think of stuff downstairs?"

Go ahead peeps, let your imagination run wild. As you can see, you cannot get any lower (no pun here) than mine, the caption that is.

Tag hour

Picked up this nosey questions tag from La Vida Loca.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
God! Another pimple.

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?
$26 and some loose change that I am lazy to count.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?
Bore?

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
A certain someone called "Kittu".

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
Not really a favorite, but right now, its Rock On music.

6. What are you wearing right now?
Pajamas.

7. Do you label yourself?
Not really. What would you call a mildly obsessive woman who insists having her way and then gives up the instant she likes something better?

8. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently own?
Does the department store brand count?

9.Bright or Dark Room?
Bright rooms. Dark rooms depress me (read scare me).

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
She is one kick-ass girl who is as much fun in person as on her blog.

11. What does your watch look like?
Not wearing one right now, but have a beige strapped watch with a gold rim and ivory dial studded with diamonds. Real ivory, real diamonds, 22k gold and genuine leather, the generous sales associate told me. He was also nice enough to sell it to me just for peanuts!

12. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
"This is an automatic test message generated by the emergency response system".

14. What’s a word that you say a lot?
There is no one bloody word I say a lot, bloody!

15. Who told you he/she loved you last?
Umm....one of John Gult's friends. He said, "you guys don't call me as often but I still love you both". So sweet na!

16. Last furry thing you touched?
Swiffer duster.

17. Favourite age you have been so far?
Early teens. Loved high school absolutely. Wonderful friends, first crushes and of course a much fitter body.

18. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"Talk to you later".

19.The last song you listened to?
Dhol yaara dhol from Dev D.

20. Where did you live in 1987?
Hyderabad, India.

21. Are you jealous of anyone?
Actually of a few people and I am really hoping it will go away once I get what they have.

22. Is anyone jealous of you?
Not sure.

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
Clothes (obviously!), something to tie my hair and of course my unpredictable mood.

24. What’s your favorite town/city?
Visakhapatnam. The city brings back wonderful memories.

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
Not sure if this was the last one, but recently found one I wrote to John Gult in sudh hindi that too.

26. Can you change the oil on a car?
In theory yes, but never tried.

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
That he married his first cousin, that too out of choice. No dying grandparents involved. How weird!

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
No, but my wrist bothers me a little.

29.What is your current desktop picture?
Nothing. I very strongly believe desktop pictures led my computer to crash last summer.

30. Have you been burnt by love?
No, just bitten.

More on what’s happening at the John Gult and Never Mind household

At work, a few weeks ago, they laid off about 10% of the workforce. I know it's not news anymore but it still came as a surprise because at the beginning of the year, they talked about how well we did in 2008 and how we have enough money to last through the rough times. Apparently, people got the pink slips was because the top bosses were being “proactive” about the bad economy. But, like all those big banks, everyone who is still here gets that big fat bonus. People at work were super pissed with the layoffs. As an intern, I didn't feel strongly one way or the other, but it made me think hard if this is a company that I want to stay with for life and make a career at. Especially, if they don’t think twice about letting people go whenever there is a potential road block. Anyway, as a result of this “re-structuring”, things have gotten super busy. And it does not help to have a manager who works 15 hrs a days and is twice as smart as you. So I spend most days and some nights trying to play catch-up with him and end up feeling like a loser.

At home, things have been fairly smooth. We have given up the high hopes of keeping the house neat and tidy at all times, cooking fresh food for every meal and such. Now we are happy if there is frozen food or leftovers from last night for dinner and laundered clothes to wear. We clean the house over the weekends; that is if you count putting things back in their place as cleaning.

Very recently, I realized that between January 1^st and March 15^th, there is a birthday or an anniversary every other week in the family. So I decided to make sure that our future child’s birthday does not get lost in the jungle. Jan, Feb and March are ruled out. Nov is out for similar reasons. December is al already expensive month with all the Chritmas traveling. It’s too hot to be born between May and Aug. Besides, the kids would hate us because most schools are closed for the summer and they would have no friends around to celebrate with. That leaves me with Apr, Sep and Oct. MIL’s birthday is in Sep and FIL’s is in Oct. Going by my rule of not having a kid in the month when someone in the family has birthday, I am left with a narrow window of just 30 days in April! Awesome! Now its the perfect excuse to give to all those nosy aunty types who want to know if there is any “special news”. It would be super cool to say, “Sorry aunty, I missed the window for this year, but wish me luck for next!” Sorry people, I did not mean to actually type these things out and bore you to death. As you can tell, I do not have anything intelligent to say!

Speaking of kids, one of my bestest friends is preggers. I would have been a lot more enthusiastic about it, if not for the way I came to know of the news. To me, she is the kind of friend you would call, when you even consider the thought of having babies. She called to wish us on our anniversary and adds as an afterthought that she is 12 weeks pregnant, that too after telling half of the people we know in common. I was genuinely happy for her, but could not help feeling bad and left out. Of course, I played along with her not wanting to hurt her during her special time. Oh wait, may be I did. She sometimes reads this blog. But I really hope her pregnancy goes well and they have a healthy baby.

In other news, you remember my brother who was going to travel to the US to take his medical licensing exam? Ya, that one. He is traveling to the US this year to take the same exam. He will be staying with us for 4 months through the summer. I am super excited about his trip. And of course, I can’t wait for all the goodies my parents are sending with him.

With that, we come to the end of today’s edition. You all take care and I will be back with more news and updates soon, hopefully sooner than another 3 months!

Where have we been...?

...At the intersection of writer's block and don't-have-anything-to-say, being incredibly lazy in a busymobile.

Excuse #1: Hour-long commutes and overachieving coworkers leave us with little time and/or self-respect to write anything.
Excuse #2: My theory that weekend hours are only half the duration of weekday hours is proving to be true.
Excuse #3: Every time I/we start a post, I/we realize halfway that others have said it all already.

Thanks all, for checking on us regularly. Regular programming might start here if something interesting comes up.

Its that time of the year!!!

Since all you lovely people lurve me so much :D, I have decided to treat you guys to a little puzzle.

The first four prime numbers add up to the day I was born. If you have figured the date out and are wondering about the month, I say it doesn't matter. Day of the year and calender date are all the same. If you have figured out, you know when to wear your party hats and sing the birthday song!