Never travel without a laptop!!

Our old laptop was in horrible shape. The keys not working, the screen was busted, the battery no longer in use. For all purposes it was desktop. and we were already overloaded in the luggage department. So it made sense to leave it behind right? WRONG!!
Its been two months now, and i am actually missing that sorry excuse for a laptop!!

For those of you who think having an ipad is good enough, think again. the ipad is really good when u want to check your emails, facebook or play games. But once you are wholly dependent on it, you realise it not really all that they make it out to be.

Dont believe me? Try it out yourself.
No uploading pics, no going on flash sites, that means no watching movies unless they r on you tube, not working on resumes. Or doing anything work related, unless all you do is send and reply emails!! Blogger too does not have an ipad app. So i am using the iphone app to write this blog. Which is also why i have been MIA until now!!

Rant over!!!

A change in scenery!

It has been quite a while since my last post... But there was a very good reason for the delay. We have shifted!! Mumbai mom is now in Amsterdam!!

The past few months have been a series of chaotic, hectic and panicky days wherein a lot of packing and stuffing of suitcases was carried out. That was accompanied by completing documentation, visiting embassies and bringingthe paperwork up to order. Little wonderthat its been such a long time since my last post! But here I am now,and hopefully i will be able to post more frequently now.

Filing for netherlands visa is quite a lenghty process, but we had help from the hubster's HR dept. In addition one has to make sure that the birth and marraige certificates are firstly reissued and then legalised. This is more important for the application of work permit after you arrive in NL.

After all the documentation was ready, the three of us trooped to the Netherlands Embassy. I was a bit nervous because it wasthe first time I had to visit any embassy, but I didnt have to be so. The ladyat the embassy was really nice and it hardly took us 15minutes there.

That done, all that was left was packing and waiting for the passports to come back with the stamps from the embassy.

Somehow we managed to pack most of the things that we would require in NL in 2 measly suitcases and we were all ready to fly. 12 hrs later, we reached amsterdam.... The weather was awesome!! Very bright and cheerful as we arrived when the summer season was at its peak.

Since then, we have searched, found and shifted in our rented apartment in record breaking time. Time for some relaxation now.

Phew!!!!


Ps: No laptop here and unable to upload any pics on the blog..:( sob... Will try to work something out soon.

Vihaan turns one!!

Last month was a biiiig month for us..... we have turned one year old!!!

We had a small get together with our friends and family. Vihaan was pretty chilled out during the first half of the party. But after the cake cutting ceremony, everyone crowded around him and that freaked him out. He became really cranky (which is really expected). I was so focussed on Vihaan that I even forgot to give some of the kids their return gifts!! I had to feed him to calm him down and he actually fell asleep for the rest of the party!!

Vihaan can now:
Stand without support
Cruise holding onto furniture
Has become a big time crawler
Say baba, mama, tata, dada and a lot more

He has six teeth in total, four on top and two at the bottom.

I can sense his personality developing slowly. He has his preferences while playing, eating and sleeping.
He also points at objects which he wants, and loves grooving to the latest music :P

His sleep pattern has also changed. He now hardly sleeps for 2-3 hours during the day. He used to be a good sleeper at night, but now a days, he tends to wake up for feeds.

I havent stopped feeding yet... some people have been telling me this is the best time to start weaning the baby off breast milk. But over the last year, I have realised the most simple thing: every baby is different..
If something works with one baby, the same thing may not work with another baby. So i am taking it easy atleast with weaning, I feed only when he himself asks for it. Otherwise, Vihaan has three proper meals in a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and also has midday and evening snacks if he is in the mood.

Climate in Mumbai has been fluctuating like crazy... somedays are too hot, and somedays it pours!! That sorta has been affecting Vihaan's health, he has a cold that just wont go!!

The entry into the second year has been good :) My little man is growing up fast!!

DIY- Toy Guitar

It is becoming more and more difficult to keep Vihaan interested in any particular toy. Good toys are extremely costly and V gets more interested in the boxes rather than the toys itself. I bought him a fisher price toy hammer (price INR600) only to find that he doesnt like playing with it :P

V has more fun with the random things lying about in the house like his spoons, or utensils. The other day, when I was doing a bit of summer cleaning, I found this box which was in pretty good shape. With some paints and rubber bands, it was transformed into a colourful toy guitar.

V loves to play with it, and since I made it, its even more fun to see him enjoying the toy :) I have made a tutorial on how to make this Toy guitar. Check out the link for more info.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Diy-Toy-Guitar-Box/

Tenth Month Update

We are beginning to enter the toddler years :) This month gave me a taste of what the coming months will bring. And boy was it fun!!

The Milestones :

V has become an expert crawler. He pulls himself up to the standing position. He also walks a little while holding on to the furniture. However he sometimes just lets go of his support and than falls :P Little man still has to learn to balance himself and stand without holding onto something.

V has become really vocal. He does not really say words, but the babababa is non stop.

We have teeth!! Four to be precise. The teeth were on their way for quite a while, but finally made their appearance on the 1st of April :)  Now to buy the toothbrush.

V got his Measles shot this month. He got it a little late as he was unwell previously.

Signing off with a pic :)